


Cat

by BettyHT



Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2015-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-04 09:48:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 42,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5329649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gone for many years, two men make their way back to the Ponderosa and the family that misses them. They don't know each other, but they end up in a critical situation that brings them close together and leads to many changes for all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cat

Cat

Chapter 1

Sitting tall in the saddle and leaning a bit to one side, the man had one leg resting across the saddle as he gazed down at the ranch house he knew so well. A black hat, black vest, black pants, and black boots were all well used. Curly dark hair brushed his shirt collar and two day's growth of beard from being on the trail darkened his cheeks. He should have shaved, but as he got close, he grew more anxious and spent every moment of daylight riding to get to this spot. Then he had paused a bit unsure of himself suddenly. He had been gone for years and wondered again at his homecoming. Would they welcome him or would there be lingering hurt feelings because he had left. He didn't see anyone around the house or stable but on such a nice day, he had to assume that Hoss and Joe were out working. Then he saw him. There was no mistaking the authoritative walk and the silver hair. He had no choice now because it looked like he was tying some thick saddlebags to Buck and that could only mean that he was heading out on a trip. He didn't want to have this reunion happen on the road. He kicked his horse into a gallop and hurried to make sure he could meet him at the house to see how it would go. He had not sent a message that he was on his way so they had no way of knowing he was coming back. He hoped they would greet him with warmth and welcoming, but he would accept any other response. He knew he deserved no better.

Hearing a rider approaching, Ben Cartwright turned wondering who could be riding in at such a fast pace and why. He hoped it didn't mean any trouble. They were short-handed with his sons and most of the hands away on a drive. When he saw who it was and smiled waiting for him to pull up. He had no fear for he knew the man was an excellent horseman. Even being gone for years, he knew he would never have lost those skills. When the tall man dismounted, he stepped forward to wrap his arms around him and welcome him back to the Ponderosa. Once they stepped apart, they were ready to talk.

"I wasn't sure you would welcome me back with open arms. I kinda just walked away from your hospitality and generosity without much of a backward glance."

"You had your reasons. We accepted that and knew you had to do it. Did it work out the way you hoped?"

"I'm sorry to say it didn't. She had made up her mind to do what she was going to do and nothing I could say or do was going to change her mind."

"Why didn't you come back then?"

"I was of a mind to, but I wanted some time to see more of the what was out there. I hadn't roamed much since I came here. I guess that was still in me. Then I realized that what I missed most was having a place to call home. Is this still a place I can call home?"

"Candy, it is your home as long as you think of it as that. Your room is still there if you want it. Now Hoss and Joe are away on a drive and Hop Sing is with them. He swears each time he won't go, but he goes. I think he's afraid to let anyone else feed his boys."

"Sounds about right. Looks like you're going somewhere too."

"Yes, I have meetings in Carson City all week. I wish I could stay and talk, but these meetings are very important and I can't miss them. You can stay here and have some time to relax. It looks like you could use some it. There's plenty of food in the kitchen but you'll have to cook it yourself. There's a skeleton crew on, but you know some of the men because it's the older hands who stayed behind."

"I can do some work while I'm here. I don't want to just sit around for a week."

"You can watch over the place, and you know there's always odd jobs that need to be done on a ranch. Hoss and Joe might be home before I am. I wish I could be here when they see you. The two of them are going to be so happy to see you."

"Oh, yeah, someone else to drag into their schemes. Neither of them got married then?" Candy saw a dark shadow pass over Ben's face then.

"Joe did, but his wife and unborn child were murdered. We thought Hoss was killed too in an accident but he was found some months later recuperating many miles downstream from where it happened. It took months for him to be returned to us. It was a hard time for all of us but especially for Joe. We thought Hoss had died. We even had a funeral for him and put up a gravestone even though we didn't have a body. We thought he was lost downriver never to be found. Some hunters found him and dragged him from the river. He was so hurt he didn't make much sense and they didn't have the resources to let us know."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. At least you have him back. It must be good to have your sons with you again."

"Two of them. We got word that Adam went to Australia. He wrote that he married and then we didn't hear from him again. It's hard getting any news from Australia. There's isn't any trade route that connects Australia directly with California."

"Does he know what happened with Joe and Hoss?"

"I've written to him, but I don't know which letters he may have received."

"That must be hard, having a son but never seeing him or knowing what happened to him. Do you think he'll ever come back?"

Silently looking off to the mountains for a time, Ben appeared as if he might not answer. Candy waited knowing that Ben was struggling with that answer.

"When he first left, I was sure he would be back within a couple of years. He put his sweat and blood into this land. He loved his family and had risked his life over and over again for us. But the letters gushed with enthusiasm for what he was doing and the things he was seeing, and gradually the letters dwindled to a few each year until now nothing for the past year. I don't think I'll see my oldest son ever again."

There was nothing that Candy could say to ease that kind of pain so he said nothing. He waited for his friend to regain his composure. It didn't take long. Ben Cartwright had been living with that pain for some time. He looked at Candy and nodded in acknowledgement of the understanding he had afforded him. "Now I need to go. The first meeting is this evening and I don't want to be late. Go in and make yourself comfortable." Ben mounted up to ride, but another man riding in interrupted him again.

"Boss, we still got a big problem with that cat up in the northwest pastures. He took down two more calves. He keeps doing that, he's gonna get to be a really big problem."

"I know, but we're too shorthanded to send out a hunting party. Hoss and the best hunters are gone on the drive anyway. It will have to wait until they're back."

"By that time, we could lose another dozen calves the way that beast is taking 'em."

"If you can find a professional hunter in town to go after him, then you could hire him, Mac, but otherwise, it has to wait."

"You know there ain't no professional hunters in town no more. There ain't enough game in these parts to keep 'em around here."

"Exactly, so that's why you need to wait until Hoss and Joe get back. We don't have a choice."

"Mr. Cartwright, I could go after him. I'm a pretty fair hunter."

"Candy, it's dangerous cat. I wouldn't want you to go after him alone. It's too dangerous. I wouldn't send you after him."

"You're not sending me. I'm volunteering."

"No, it's too dangerous. You need some men with you to watch your back. A cat like that is much too dangerous for one man to hunt. You need another experienced hunter with you or at least two other men to back you up. No, wait for Hoss and Joe. The three of you would make a great team to hunt that cat down. Now, I really do have to leave. Mac, make sure the men work in pairs. A cat like that might be dangerous to a single rider."

"Will do, Boss. You take care too. Don't let them railroad men get the best of ya."

With a smile, Ben waved and rode toward Carson City. Candy led his horse to the stable and took care of him before heading to the house and a room. It seemed strange to be in the house alone. It had all the reminders of the Cartwright men but none of them were there. That night, Candy lit a fire in the fireplace, poured himself a brandy, and sat staring into the flames. It felt good to be home. When he realized he had that thought, he smiled but sobered a bit as he looked at that blue chair. He remembered Hoss telling him that his older brother had favored that chair because it was easier on his back than most of the others. Candy wondered what Adam was like. He had heard stories about him from Ben, from Hoss, and from Joe. He seemed like three different people based on those stories. He guessed that the most accurate version was probably the one he got from Hoss because Hoss was the one most skilled at seeing the essence of a person and not being fooled by anything they tried to do to hide their innermost thoughts and feelings. If Hoss was right, he thought he might like the oldest brother if he ever got to meet him. He also might like to punch him in the nose for leaving his family and hurting them the way that he had. Of course, he had done the same, so perhaps they were a lot more alike than he cared to admit even to himself. With that thought, he banked the fire, checked that all the doors and windows were secured, and went to bed resting easier than he had in years.

For the next few days, Candy was busy doing as Ben had asked. He repaired harness, chopped wood, and thoroughly cleaned the stable. He organized the storage shed which took an entire day. He was wondering what he would do the next day when he heard a great commotion in the yard. It was Mac and Dave bringing in a hand wrapped in a bedroll and draped over the back of his horse. Several of the other men had greeted him and were very upset. Candy asked what had happened. Mac answered.

"I told the men to ride in pairs or more all the time when they was working. Sam here forgot some of his gear up near the line shack and thought to ride back there and get it. He wasn't thinking about it being work and went by himself. We saw his horse running this afternoon and backtracked it. In that draw near the creek by the line shack, that cat must have jumped him. We found his body half buried by the side of the trail. Damn cat ate part of him and was probably gonna come back for more."

Some of the men insisted that they ought to go out hunting for the cat. Mac and Dave disagreed. Dave talked them down.

"Ain't none of us much of a shot with a rifle. We do all right ifn we gotta, but with a cat like that, you gotta be fast and good. All we'd do is make it mad. Meanwhile who's gonna do the work here? Nah, we shoulda done what the boss said and stuck together. Sam forgot and it cost him his life."

At that moment, Candy decided what he was going to do the next day. "I'm going after that cat."

Mac tried to talk him out of it reminding him of what Ben had said.

"I know, but that was before it turned into a man-killer. I need to go keep it busy at least until Hoss and Joe get back. I'll stay in the line shack. At least it won't go after any more men while I'm up there. I'll take plenty of ammo and I'll keep my horse in the cabin with me. That cabin still has the big back door for that, doesn't it?"

Mac agreed that it did, so Candy began making preparations that night for being in the high country and hunting a big dangerous cat. He knew it would likely be hunting him too so he was sure to take along what he thought he needed to protect himself.

Chapter 2

The morning dawned as he had expected it. There was a cool layer of air that had made the moisture in the air condense into mist that hovered over the high mountain valley and the early rays of the sun lit it like the clouds of heaven must shine. The peaks of the mighty granite Sierras with their crowns of snow rose majestically from them. He leaned against a small pine and sipped a cup of hot coffee. He preferred it to the tea that he had been accustomed to drinking for the previous seven years. It felt good to be able to do what he wanted and not have to bow to another's wishes. He had missed seeing this kind of morning this most of all. Well he missed this most of all besides the family in the house only two days ride away. He knew he should get going if he was going to make that ride in two days, but he wasn't sure of his reception. He wasn't sure what he was going to say about why he was there and why his wife wasn't by his side. He had been so sure in his righteous indignation and anger when he left, but the voyage had left him with doubt and some self-recrimination. He knew he should go back to make it official, but first he needed to see his family after being gone for seven years. He guessed that the only thing to say was that he had been a fool twice over, but telling his father he had to leave to go divorce his wife and sell his property wasn't going to be the good news his father likely wanted to hear either. He should not have left without taking care of that first, and he should not have left without returning until now.

With a shrug that said more than anything that he was resigned to what he had done, Adam drank down the remaining coffee and prepared to clean up his camp and pack up for one more day's riding and one more day of camping. He did hope that the line shack in the northwest pasture was still being maintained. He hoped to use it that night before continuing on the next day. It was late enough in the spring that roundup should be completed and any drive should be underway or even possibly done. He thought it would be quiet up this far. He was wrong. He heard a rifle shot that froze him for a moment until he realized it was miles away. Unfortunately it was also in the direction that he had to travel. He shrugged and made sure that his rifle was within easy reach and that his pistol was loaded and ready to be used. He put his extra pistol in his shoulder rig and prepared to ride out hoping that he wouldn't have any trouble.

The morning's ride was very pleasant. The terrain was difficult enough to keep his attention without being so challenging that he couldn't enjoy the sights and sounds all around him. He heard the birds singing and the sound of water splashing its way down the rocky streambeds. It was very soothing. It was when he stopped to eat some jerky and drink some water while letting his horse take a break that he realized there were no birds singing any more. He tensed up knowing it had to mean there was some kind of predator in the area. With the rifle shots of the morning, he had to worry that the predator was human and that he was potential prey. His horse didn't seem skittish and that made him all the more concerned that the threat was from a human. When he saw the distinctive shadow of an eagle though, he could relax and smile again. He looked up to see the magnificent bird flying low and hunting. The birds had reason to worry, but he and his horse could continue to be their midday rest. Once the eagle had moved on, the birdsongs were back. He finished the jerky but didn't give in to the urge to take a nap. He still had that nervous feeling that there was a threat nearby, and it made him uneasy for the rest of the afternoon as he was riding always checking around him for a possible attack from an unknown assailant. Late in the afternoon, that feeling grew much stronger as the birdsongs again ceased and there was no eagle or hawk hunting that could account for it. He pulled his rifle and made sure the reins were secured so he couldn't lose them for he didn't want to take the chance at being left on foot up here. He saw a flash of red ahead in the trees and slowed to a very cautious approach until he saw a man walking very slowly apparently hunting or at least giving the appearance of hunting. Adam watched him but noted that something was wrong with the picture he was seeing. It took a moment for him to see what it was. When he saw it, he had only a moment to react and time to shout only a brief warning. He pulled his rifle into firing position and shot into the tall grass about fifteen feet behind the man. There was a scream from a mountain lion that tore from the grass and disappeared into the tree line. Adam rode toward the man dressed in black and wearing the red shirt. He smiled a little realizing the man could have been mistaken for him except for being about fifty pounds lighter.

"I almost shot you."

"Well, that would have been unfortunate because then you would probably have been dead, and I might have been wounded."

"I'm a pretty good shot."

"Could be, but how good are you with a mountain lion attacking you?"

"Well, that's a good point. Now, I don't mean to be disrespectful, but what are you doing up here on the Ponderosa?"

"I like it up here."

"I don't know you."

"I don't know you either. Is that important to you?"

"It is if you're trespassing."

"Have the rules changed that much? I've been gone a few years, but there always used to be a willingness to allow people to at least cross the Ponderosa in peace."

"That hasn't changed, but you still haven't said who you are and what you're doing here." Candy was getting a bit frustrated with this stranger dressed much the same as he was except he could see that the clothing was very well tailored and the pistol and rifle he had were some of the finest made. The man was obviously wealthy and yet traveled alone and simply as any ordinary cowboy. He handled a rifle as handily as any cowboy too, and he wore his pistol rig low like he knew how to use it. He was an enigma at this point. Candy didn't like enigmas, but the stranger was ready to share any information with him.

"Enough of this. We need to track that wounded cat or there's going to be a much bigger problem."

"Too bad you're not a better shot."

"I never saw the cat."

Incredulous at that answer, Candy had to know. "Then how did you shoot it?"

"I shot where the grass was moving. I figured it was your only chance. Didn't anyone ever tell you not to have any tall grass or brush behind you when you were hunting a mountain lion?"

"You seem to know a lot about hunting them."

"I used to hunt quite a few of them up here. I haven't in a while, but that's not the kind of thing you forget. Is the line shack up here still in good shape?"

"It is." Candy started to get a suspicion about who the man might be, but he needed more information before he could be sure of his conclusion. It fit the type of things he had heard from Joe and Ben. Physically he fit the description, and he was intelligent, talented, kind of a smart aleck, bossy, and kept a lot of information to himself. The smirk was just as Joe had described it. He wondered if he would see any of the characteristics that Hoss had mentioned.

"Good. I think we're going to need it tonight."

Candy retrieved his horse under Adam's critical eye. He knew that Adam disapproved of him ever dismounting in this spot, but at least he refrained from saying anything. Once Candy was mounted up, Adam began tracking the mountain lion. He followed the blood trail at first because it was easy. Gradually though the terrain made that difficult to do and the cat was bleeding less and less.

"Damn, I was hoping I hit something important, but from the looks of this, it was superficial. Probably only made him angry. Watch my back, would you?" Adam dismounted then and took a good look at the tracks that had been made in a soft patch of earth. He checked the prints for each foot and then stood. "This cat is hurt and not only from my shot. It's got a bad foot probably from a trap. Is there someone running a trap line up here?"

"There was. They left because they said they had too much trouble with a mountain lion."

"I'm guessing that it was after that the trouble started with the cat taking down calves."

"You can read the minds of mountain lions now?"

"No, but I think that those trappers knew that the mountain lion got caught in one of their traps and was hurt. It probably started eating the animals they caught in their traps because it couldn't hunt very well any more. Once they left, it needed another source of easy food. Calves would be the easiest food up here. Is that why you're up here hunting it?"

Frowning, Candy sighed and looked back toward the ranch house. "No, it found something even easier."

Momentarily scared, Adam had to ask. "Who?"

"One of the young hands. He didn't know better and rode back to pick up some things he had forgotten. The cat got him. Mr. Cartwright told me not to hunt that cat by myself. He told me to wait for Joe and Hoss to get back from the drive, but when I saw that kid laying over the back of that horse, I had to do something." Looking back when he spoke, Candy realized that Adam had not known if it had been a member of his family who had been attacked. "Sorry, I shouldn't have let you worry. I should have told you right away it wasn't one of your brothers or your father."

Startled, Adam looked at him silently for a moment without speaking. Then he had to know because the curiosity wouldn't let it rest. "How did you know?"

"Your brothers and your father talked about you a lot especially at night or when holidays and your birthday rolled around. It hurt them a lot that you didn't write. Mr. Cartwright said that this past year, he's been terribly worried because he hadn't heard anything from you."

"There were reasons."

Candy's anger came out in his question. "What kind of reasons could make a man hurt his father like that?"

Not the kind of man who could be easily intimidated, Adam had a temper that could match any man's. "The kind of reasons that a man tells his father before he tells a complete stranger. You may know who I am, but you don't know me, and I don't know you. I'm hardly ready to let you be my priest confessor."

"I wasn't asking to be. I was stating what I thought. That's all."

"Now you've said it. We need to get to that line shack before it gets dark. That cat is going to be tracking us soon enough. I'd rather be inside that shack fixing some dinner rather than outside with that cat fixing to make me its dinner."

It was a truce offer, and it was taken as that. There were no more harsh words as the two men headed to the line shack and efficiently got water and grass for the horses, got them inside the shack and secured for the night, got food cooking and made sure that there was adequate firewood and water for them until morning. Neither of them wanted to risk having to step outside that building in the dark. Conversation was about neutral subjects and after a long hard day, both men turned in early, but neither found sleep came easy.

Chapter 3

The next morning, the two men rose stiff and sore from the riding they had been doing and from the lack of sleep. Candy strapped on his pistol and was going to go outside alone to take care of necessary business but Adam stopped him. He picked up his rifle and motioned to the door.

"I'll cover you and then I hope you'll be gracious enough to offer to do the same for me. We'll take the horses out next."

"You think that cat is waiting for us?"

There was no answer because it was unnecessary. As far as Adam was concerned, that mountain lion had already proved it found men to be easy prey. They were the easiest prey around with the herd moved away. He was sure that the wounded animal was close. He could feel it. He took up a position to watch any approach as Candy got behind a tree to do his business. When he finished, Adam handed him the rifle and with a nod, moved off to take care of his. He hoped the man took this as seriously as he did. He had no desire to be a mountain lion's breakfast. They saw nothing and returned to the line shack to take the horses out and clean up their mess from the night. Candy wanted to open the front and back doors of the shack to air it out but Adam vetoed the idea.

"No, we only have two pairs of eyes. We can't watch both directions carefully enough, guard the horses, and fix breakfast. One open door will have to do."

"You're kind of overdoing the being careful thing, aren't you. It's a mountain lion, not a man. It can't think things through so rationally."

"You might be surprised at what they can think, but there's one that that cat has that is foremost right now. It's hungry and we're the easiest food around. That will drive it toward us. We need to be ready for it. So what's it going to be? Watching the horses or cooking breakfast?"

"Well, since you're being the old lady here, you ought to cook the breakfast. I'll watch the horses."

Ignoring the insult much as he would have if it had been Joe with him, Adam began looking to see what he had with him to prepare breakfast as well as looking through the supplies in the line shack. Candy felt a bit bad about his comment so he opened his saddlebags and laid a package of bacon and a couple of potatoes and an onion on the table before heading out to watch over the horses as they grazed in the early morning misty sunlight. Again, Adam said nothing but he nodded in acknowledgement of the contribution knowing that Hop Sing was probably on the trail drive and that all Candy had been able to do was grab things out of the pantry. When Adam finished preparing breakfast, he carried two plates out to where Candy stood watch handing him a plate. Candy laid his rifle over his arms and held his plate much as Adam did with a wary eye to the trees not too far away.

"You see something?"

"No, but I noticed it's been real quiet while I've been out here."

"You only noticed that now?"

Candy thought back and realized he hadn't heard any birds that morning either. "So that's why you were so skittish this morning. You could have said something."

"Thought that if you were hunting a mountain lion that you would know that. It's hunting us now. They never like to come at you straight on unless they're desperate. Unfortunately, this one might be getting close to that point. I don't know when it ate last, but my guess is that it's getting hungry."

"Oh, so you thought bringing a plate of food out here to me was a good idea?"

"I've got mine too. If we want to get it, we have to draw it in closer. We can't shoot it if it stays in hiding. That's the tough part of hunting them. You need them in the open, and the only way to do that is to get dangerously close to them."

"So it's thinking we're breakfast, and you've set the table. Now we're waiting to see if it comes to eat?"

"That's about it."

"By the way, you earned the right to cook all our meals. These beans are better than any I've had except maybe the ones Hop Sing can cook. I like the potatoes and the bacon, but what did you put in these beans besides some bacon?"

"Cat always, oh damn, well she likes molasses or cane sugar in the beans as well as bacon or ham, so I've gotten in the habit of carrying some of that with me. Beans don't go down very well any more without that. Usually I cook some rice too, but I don't have any left."

"I know you're not going to like me asking, but who's Cat? Your wife?"

"Yes, I'm married, sort of married."

"How does somebody get sort of married?"

"She's in Australia. She doesn't want me with her."

"Why not?"

"Well, you do get to the point quickly, don't you?"

"Saves time."

"Simply said, we were together for a few years, and things happened. I'm not an easy man to be with. Things changed this past year, and I didn't like the changes. She gave me an ultimatum, and I moved out. I couldn't go back and live on her terms so I decided to come home and see my family. "

"So you ran away from home?"

"I did not run away. I know now I should have settled it with her before I left, but I didn't know that until I cooled down. I guess I'll go back to take care of things once I see my family. I shouldn't have left without settling it. What about you? Are you married?"

"I wanted to be. I went to see if she would marry me, and if she would, I would have brought her back here to live. She wasn't agreeable to any of that. I wandered around for a bit and then realized this is where I wanted to live. I got back less than a week ago. Mr. Cartwright welcomed me back as if I had been gone a week instead of a few years. Told me to move my things back into my old room. It was weird though being in the house and not having anyone else there. It was like they were there but they weren't there." Candy saw the look on Adam's face then even if it was gone very quickly. He hadn't realized that Candy had been living in the ranch house with the family. He didn't know how close Candy was to the family. Now he knew. "There sure are a lot of bedrooms in that house you designed. Lots of room."

It was a feeble attempt to back off from Adam probably feeling that Candy had somehow taken his place in the family. He had not, but Candy knew that if the roles were reversed, he might certainly be feeling that way. Instead of saying any more, Candy got busy cleaning up the breakfast dishes. It was an unwritten rule that if one cooked, the other cleaned up. Adam watched over the horses that were acting more and more skittish so he kept his eyes roving back and forth across the terrain. He suspected that they didn't need to head out to track the mountain lion. It had tracked them. When Candy came back out after cleaning up, Adam didn't look at him keeping his eyes alert for any movement.

"You're as jumpy as Joe when he's got a gal and is looking at another."

"That cat is close. I can smell it. They're the most dangerous when you can't see them."

"I know. I've hunted before."

"I don't want this to be the last time."

"Well, thank you so much for the compliment. I can take care of myself."

"Like yesterday?"

"You are a jackass just like Joe said."

"Maybe, but I only reminded you so that you wouldn't let that overconfidence get you killed. Regardless of what you think of me, I do know what I'm doing. I've hunted more of these cats than any men you know, and I'm still alive for one reason. I never get overconfident when I'm around them. I always think they can kill me and I do everything I can think of to make sure that doesn't happen. I was only trying to extend that courtesy to you. If you would rather I didn't, you can tell me so."

Thinking about everything that had been said so far, Candy realized that he had overreacted. "Sorry, I guess I'm a bit on edge. I lost my focus a little there. I would like to work with you on getting this cat. I'll accept that you have more experience than I do on this. Now, what's the plan?"

"Unfortunately, those clouds up there mean that we don't have much time to do much of anything. If Hoss was here, he could probably tell us when it was going to rain, for how long, and how much rain would fall. I don't know any of those answers, but I do know I don't want to try to hunt a hungry cat in the rain. He would be able to smell us, but we would have trouble seeing him and our horses might not smell him until he was too close."

"So what do we do? Hole up in the cabin until the weather clears?" One look at Adam's arched eyebrows was all the answer Candy needed. "Aw, damn, it's going to stink in there before this is done. It smells bad already."

"Yes, we need to gather up as much grass as we can. We can use some for bedding and some for feed. We can get a couple of buckets of water too. Other than that, there's not much we can do about things unless you want to ride back without getting that cat."

It was a tempting proposition, but not a satisfying one. "No, they should be sending some help up here in a day or two anyway. We should stay and see if we can get the job done before they get here, or at least be ready to lead them to that cat when they get here."

"Those were my thoughts too. Let's get done what we have to get done before that rain hits."

For two days, the two men were stuck in the cabin only venturing out to get water or more wet grass for the horses. Their only consolation was that the cat was probably as miserable or even more miserable than they were. They got a little short with each other in the cabin as the air got ripe with the two horses in with them despite their best efforts to keep the dirt floor as clean as they could. There was no window in the line shack which Candy pointed out to Adam on more than one occasion because he was the one who had built the shack. They propped the large back door partially open during the day when they could to let in fresh air as much as possible but rain beat against the front door rather relentlessly so that stayed closed. When the third day dawned with the sun shining, both men and horses couldn't have been more relieved. They followed their routine that was well established and Adam stood guard over the horses as Candy cleaned up the breakfast dishes and pans.

They had a plan for the morning and hoped to have that cat in their sights before noon. It had to be ravenous by now, and they hoped it would make a mistake and come into the open near the cabin. Adam glanced back at the cabin to see if Candy was done yet. Something seemed odd. He wasn't sure what it was but he needed to keep his eyes roving about the whole periphery so that the cat couldn't sneak up on him. His eyes were drawn back to the cabin again as he surveyed the whole circumference of the valley and the hills behind the line shack and saw nothing. It was a shock when realization dawned. There was too much light in the cabin and it was throwing shadows against the back door. Candy had the front door open as well as the back. He must have decided to air out the place, but he couldn't watch both doors and clean up at the same time nor could he carry a rifle and do that.

Scared of what might happen next, Adam nearly sprinted to the cabin and heard an ominous growl as he reached the cabin's back door. He was too late for the cat sprung at Candy as Adam entered the building. He couldn't shoot without risking hitting Candy as the two rolled on the floor so he did the only thing he could think to do. He pulled his knife and attacked the cat who released Candy and attacked him knocking him back and down. He attempted to push the knife up and into the cat's chest, but when he fell back, his head hit the floor momentarily stunning him. The cat took advantage and bit down attempting to tear into the artery in his neck. He turned to prevent that but the cat bit deeply into his shoulder and neck. There was a blast then that sprayed brains and blood all over his face and chest. Bleeding from many superficial wounds and two more serious ones to his forearms, Candy fired his pistol into the cat's ear killing it instantly. He shoved the cat from Adam and assessed the damage.

Chapter 4

After welcoming his sons back from more than a month on a cattle drive, Ben was surprised only a little that Hoss and Joe were ready to ride again so soon because when he told them that Candy was back, that was exactly what they had immediately wanted to do. They had been disappointed to learn that although back he had gone up to hunt the mountain lion without waiting for them. It had been too late to leave until the next morning when Hop Sing packed up some fresh baked bread as well as some ham for them, and they headed up to the northwest line shack to help Candy hunt down the rogue mountain lion that had done so much damage. They were as excited as they had been as boys when their father had let Adam take both of them on a camping and fishing trip for the first time. It felt more like a holiday than a working trip. When they saw the cabin in the high valley with smoke rising from the chimney, they both had big grins. As they got closer and saw the big cat hanging from a tree branch, they grinned even more.

"Candy done got that big ole cat already. Course we don't hafta tell Pa that. We can spend a few days up here fishing and hunting and having a good ole time."

"You got a bottle stashed in that food sack?"

"Course I do, Joe. You don't think I was gonna come on up here to welcome Candy back without some proper refreshments for the occasion, now do ya?"

As they rode closer, they were surprised to see two horses in the small corral behind the line shack. It looked like they had been in there a day or two because their coats were dusty and it appeared they hadn't been let out to graze.

"Now that's right odd. I wonder whose horse is in there with Scout, and why ain't they been out to get some grass? They ain't been groomed in a couple of days neither."

Drawing his pistol in expectation of trouble, Joe pulled away from where Hoss was riding on Chubb to approach the cabin from a slightly different angle. "We need to ride in ready for anything. This doesn't look right at all."

The two brothers approached the line shack cautiously and called out Candy's name as they got closer. With their pistols out and prepared for almost anything, they were hesitant when there was no response at first . When Hoss dismounted and walked near the front door though, it opened, and a pale Candy appeared there with ragged strips of cloth wrapped around his forearms. He was bare chested and there were other less serious wounds on his arms and chest. Shiny with sweat from a low grade fever, he was clearly sleep deprived as well with dark circles under his eyes and his face drawn with fatigue.

"I'm glad you finally got here. I can really use your help."

Joe swung down off Cochise and rushed to the cabin as Hoss moved to help Candy back inside.

"Dadburnit, boy, you done tangled with the wrong cat, looks like."

"Yeah, but I didn't get the worst of it. Your brother needs a lot more help. I did what I could. He's really hurting."

"Huh?" Hoss looked at Joe and back at Candy. "You got yourself a bad fever too?"

Reeling with exhaustion, Candy pointed back into the cabin. "Inside. On the bunk. He's hurt bad."

With a frown, Hoss released Candy who leaned against the doorjamb and waited for Hoss and Joe to pass by him and inside. They stood in shock at Adam's bedside not only because they never expected to see him there but also because he was wracked with fever and in the throes of minor seizures from the pain and the fever. He thrashed weakly about on the bunk and moaned apparently unaware of where he was or that anyone was there. Candy moved over to them and dropped down onto the chair where he had spent much of the previous day and night.

"He told me not to do it, but I thought I knew better. I thought I could clean up the cabin and watch both doors and keep my pistol in easy reach. I was wrong. That damn cat got in here and was on me before I knew what hit me. Your brother came in and attacked the cat to get him off me when we were rolling on the floor. I shot the cat through the head, but he bit Adam once before I managed that. Why did your brother do that, Hoss? Why? He could have waited for a chance to shoot it? Why did he risk his life to save mine? He hardly knew me."

"You should know, Candy. I told you often enough the kind of man he is. Now, Joe, we got to get busy here. I need some light, some hot water, and that bottle of whiskey I brought. I bet Adam's got a clean shirt in his saddlebags. He always does. I got one in mine too. Bring those and any other clean cloth you can find. Boil any dirty cloth you find too. We need all there is. Candy I need that lantern and the table brought up close. Can you help Joe do that?"

Candy and Joe took care of that the table and the lantern first. As Candy watched, Hoss began stripping the soiled bandages from Adam's major wound. Hoss couldn't stop himself from flinching at the smell and the sight of the nasty oozing deep laceration on Adam's left neck and shoulder. Adam was in so much pain that he didn't seem to notice what Hoss was doing and there was no reaction from him. Hoss hoped that would continue but was fairly certain it wouldn't. Once Joe had water boiling, had found cloth for bandages, had the whiskey ready, and asked if there was more he could do, Hoss had only one thing left to ask.

"Joe, I'd ask Candy but I ain't sure he can make the ride. Somebody has to go back and get a wagon and tell Pa."

"I was getting ready to suggest that myself, but do you need my help too?"

"What's got to be done here, I figure Candy can help. We got the food from Hop Sing, and you can leave your bedroll and such. That'll help ifn I need more cloth or more blankets. I figure on using one of the blankets to make a poncho for Candy so he don't catch cold."

"I'll take care of the horses in the corral and Chubb as fast as I can, and then I'll ride."

"Thanks, Joe, and Joe, try to find a way to break it to Pa gentle like. It's gonna be real hard on him."

"I know. I was thinking the same thing. It was pretty hard on us, and we ain't been hurting near as bad as Pa has been for the past year."

Hoss thought it had been nearly as hard on him, but this was no time to debate that issue. "Well, all right, you jest ride hard, but you don't take no foolish chances. Having one brother looking like this is about all I kin take right about now. Don't let Pa take no foolish chances neither. You get a wagon up here early tomorrow, and we might be able to get Adam home by tomorrow night if all goes well. Don't try to get up here tonight."

"I might not be able to stop him."

"You have to, and ifn he wants to start too early tomorrow morning, then you better damn well be sure to have half a dozen men with lanterns lighting the way. You know the way up here ain't the easiest."

"I'll do my best with everything, Hoss. You know I will."

"Same here, and you take care now, you hear." And Hoss took his eyes from Adam for a moment to look at Joe to let him know how much he cared. Then he was back to work as Joe left to do what had to be done.

As expected, Adam began to thrash more and raised his right hand to try to stop Hoss from opening the wound to drain it. Hoss knew it had to be cleaned out or his brother could die before Doctor Martin ever had a chance to take care of him.

"Candy, I need your help. Could you hold his arm down? He cain't lift his left arm cause it hurts too much so ifn you could hold that right one back, I can get this done a lot faster. I'm gonna open it up to drain it, and then I'm gonna pour some of this whisky right into it. He's gonna holler and probably try to jump right out of this bed when that happens, so hang on real tight now."

It went as Hoss predicted. Just before he used the whisky, he put a pad of torn blanket under Adam's shoulder to absorb the excess after removing the previous pad with the fluids that had drained out. He checked with Candy to be sure he was ready and then poured the alcohol into the open wound. Adam screamed and it took both of them to hold him down as he screamed and then sobbed with the pain. As it gradually subsided, so did his sobs gradually becoming groans and then mewling whimpers until he dropped into an exhausted but restless sleep. Hoss placed a loose wad of cloth over the wound then and wrapped a bandage around his chest and over his shoulder tying it over the wad of cloth to hold it in place. He took a cloth then and soaked it in whisky and wiped down the several superficial wounds that he saw before he turned his attention to Candy.

"Your turn now. Let's get those bandages off your arms. I'm gonna clean up whatever they're hiding and then wipe down them other claw marks ya got."

"I'll be fine. Save the whisky for you brother."

"There's plenty in here for both of you. Now, take them bandages off. I ain't in the mood to argue. I just done something that took all the good mood right out of me."

Candy complied and Hoss took care of the wounds on his arms that were bites and then wiped the claw marks as he had with Adam. He bandaged the bite marks after they were cleaned and rinsed with the whisky.

"Sorry, I ain't got no salve to ease the pain of it, but I couldn't let those wounds fester another day or two. When did this happen?"

"Yesterday morning. I did my best to help him, but at first it was all I could do to get the bleeding to stop. By last night, the infection was really setting in and there was nothing I could do for him. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about. You did what you could. Ifn you hadn't, he wouldn't have made it. Now, tell me what happened to put the two of you together up here."

Candy spent some time telling Hoss about how Adam had saved his life and what Adam had told him, but then Hoss saw how tired his friend was.

"I'm sorry. I was so anxious to hear about Adam I plumb didn't pay attention to how tired you must be. I got food that Hop Sing sent along, and there's a bed there for you. I got Joe's bedroll for you to use. I can see you used up a lot of what you had to help Adam. I can used part of what's left to make a poncho for you to replace your shirt."

"What about Adam? I tore up his shirt for bandages too."

"He's running a fever. He wouldn't appreciate it right now anyway."

As Candy got a chunk of bread and a slice of ham to eat, Hoss cut a hole in the center of a part of a blanket. He cut off the long end of the blanket to use to tie the two sides together to create a makeshift shirt of sorts for Candy. When Candy finished his meal, he slipped Hoss' handiwork over his head and tied it in place.

"Thanks. I feel a lot better already. Now, I would like to get some sleep."

"You go right ahead. I'll be sitting with Adam while you sleep."

Hoss got a chunk of bread too and some ham and sat by his brother's side. He hoped that Adam would wake so that he would be able to take some water because dehydration was the next problem he would have to address. Blood loss, infection, fever, and dehydration were some huge problems his brother was facing. He hoped that somehow he could do enough to keep him fighting until more help arrived. He spent his time wiping the sweat from Adam with a cloth soaked in cool water. The fever was high and to Hoss signaled that an infection was raging in Adam's body. That surprised him because even though the wound was serious and infected, it had not seemed bad enough to account for the extremely high fever his brother was suffering. Hoss looked over a few times to where Candy seemed to be resting comfortably. He smiled in what Adam probably would have described as irony at the fact that he had prayed that both of these men would return and now they had and he could only wish that it hadn't happened like this.

Chapter 5

Late in the afternoon, Candy awoke to hear Hoss talking softly to his unconscious brother. While caring for Adam, Candy had done some of that too willing him to wake and to take some water but failing in that as Hoss was. Remembering the frustration, he listened and recalled the conversation he had with Adam before the gravely wounded man had lost consciousness.

"I've been a very foolish man, Candy, and now I wonder if I'll have the chance to set things right."

"What do you mean by that? I've seen the scars on you, and I heard the stories your brothers and your father told. Any man who could survive all of that can take a little bite from a cat."

"It's bad. I know it and you know it. It was damn cold up here this morning, and now it feels damn hot. I know the weather didn't change that much so it's me. If I've got a fever that bad already, then things aren't looking too good. Candy, I want you to tell my family some things for me. I would have written this past year but I was sick. I spent about six months mostly out of my head with malaria and rarely out of bed. I hardly knew if I was going to make it from one day to the next or one week to the next. Every time I thought I had it beat, I would relapse and end up back in bed. I wasn't exactly in any shape to write any letters. I would have if I could have. By the time I was recovered enough to write, I was in a mess with my wife, my former business partners, and my father-in-law. As a foreigner in the country, I lacked much legal standing to fight them, the men that is."

"Did your wife side with her father against you?"

"That's just it. I thought so at the time, and now I'm wondering if she was trying to get me to fight back against them. Maybe she was trying to get me to fight instead of giving up. She might have been trying to help with what she did while I was sick. I may never know because I left. I had too much pride to let a woman tell me what to do. I wish I could do it all over again. My only excuse was that I felt cornered and came out fighting. Unfortunately I think I may have fought the wrong person and ended up hurting the one person who was on my side."

"Listen, we'll get you home tomorrow, and when you recover, you can head back to her and ask her to forgive you. If she loves you like you love her, she'll forgive you."

"How do you know I love her enough to do it?"

"By the way your face changes when you talk about her. You have the same look when you talk about your family. I may not be as smart as you, but I'm not stupid." Momentarily chagrined, Candy dropped his head before looking up to look square into Adam's eyes. "I was stupid to open both doors. I know you said I couldn't watch both of them, but I guess I didn't believe you when you said a cat could be that smart."

"The first lesson of hunting that the Paiute taught me was that you should always believe that your prey is smarter than you are and know more than you know. It makes you be more careful and to think things through more."

"How did you know the cat was in the cabin? You were there seconds after that cat."

"I saw the light throwing shadows and the only way that could happen was if the front door was open too. If I saw it, then the cat could see it. I ran as fast as I could, but the cat ran faster."

"Adam, thanks for saving my life."

"Candy, thank you for saving mine. I guess we're even now."

"No, not yet. You saved mine twice already."

"Then I guess you better get me home alive to even up that score. I'll have to haunt you if you don't."

Shaking his head at the gallows humor, Candy had helped him sip some water then, and he had closed his eyes to rest. It was the last time he had opened them. His fever had risen rapidly and he began moaning in pain that seemed to wrack his whole body as he never seemed to be at rest with his body and his limbs twitching and jumping repeatedly. Candy had not seen anything like it except with a man who had contracted a severe fever in the mountains once when he was with the Army. That man had died. He wasn't a very religious man, but he looked upward and softly said a prayer that Adam would live. When he finished, he looked over to Hoss who was regarding him with a serious expression.

"I been doing a big bunch of that too. He's gonna need a lot of 'em. I could use your help to prop him up some. I ain't been able to get any water into him, and with this fever, he's gotta take some water."

Very carefully, Candy and Hoss managed to get Adam into a semi-reclining position. Hoss put a spoonful of water into his mouth and waited. It didn't dribble out and after a moment, they saw the signs that Adam had swallowed. The involuntary muscle reaction was working. It would take a lot of patience, but Hoss could get water into him.

"I cleaned that wound out and it don't look too bad. You done a good job with it. Seems to me that he's got a powerful bad fever for some reason that I don't understand."

"It's not the infection?"

"Well, I suppose it could be, but it don't seem hardly bad enough for him to be this sick. I've looked at it a couple of times. It's draining mostly clear now."

"Maybe it got into his blood. I've heard docs talk about blood poisoning."

"Must be something like that. Sure hope that Doc is ready for something like that." Hoss left the rest of his thought unspoken. He even hated that he had that thought, but he knew he felt it. Adam had come all this way to be reunited with his family. It would be awful if he wouldn't be able to do that. He spooned more water into his brother's mouth in a regular rhythm without overdoing it. He didn't want to take the chance that he might make him cough or possibly get any of the fluid into his lungs. He knew that Adam couldn't face any more physical obstacles at this point.

"Hoss, Joe looked really different. I mean, he looks a lot older than just a few years ago."

"Things happened that made him get a lot older real fast, Candy."

"He doesn't look like a kid any more."

"Yeah, Adam won't rightly be calling him that and making him so dadblamed mad about it now, I suppose."

"Adam said he didn't do it to make him mad, at least most of the time."

"You two talked about that?"

"Yeah, I said Joe said he was always bossing him around and not showing him respect. I remember that conversation real well. He said he thought I was probably about your age when I started to work on the Ponderosa. He said if I was thirty and they hired a hand who was eighteen, what would I call him? He had me there because we would all call him a kid. He said he was that much older than Joe and he didn't mean anything about calling him a kid most of the time. He did admit that sometimes when he was irritated, he called him that on purpose because he knew he'd get a rise out of him though. As for bossing him around, he said it was for about the same reason. You know, he makes a lot of sense about almost everything he says but sometimes he's got a real smart alecky way of saying it."

Hoss smiled and nodded. "Yup, that's Adam. He's trying to get a rise out of you when he does it. Ifn he can't get a rise out of you, he don't do it. He don't talk smart like that with me cause he knows it don't work on me."

"Your father said some things about what happened to you too. You had a real rough time of it too from what he said."

"Yeah, I guess we're carrying some heavy loads. I wonder what Adam's story is. I'm guessing he's got a lot to tell us when he wakes up."

"He does. Hoss, do you think it would bother him if I told you what he told me while we were together this week?"

"He talked that much to you? Well, he usually was a good judge of men except in a couple of cases. Guess he knew we trusted you too. You use your best judgment and tell me what you think he wouldn't mind you telling me. Adam probably expected we'd talk about some of the things he said like the story you told me already about him calling Joe a kid."

A little embarrassed to realize that he had already told Hoss some of what Adam had confided in him, Candy realized too that it was unlikely that Adam meant for most of their conversations to be confidential. He didn't know Candy that well so it was unlikely he had told him anything that he wasn't ready to make more public. He had also said that he wanted Candy to tell his family why he hadn't written them in the past year. Nothing else he had said was as revealing as that information so perhaps he wouldn't mind if Candy told all of it to Hoss. "You know, he did tell me that he wanted you to know some things. I'll start by telling you that. I'll tell you more, and if you think I'm saying too much, you stop me. If you think I've ever said too much, then you keep it to yourself and tell me to do the same. I know you can keep a secret and you know you can trust me. I trust your judgment. How about that for a plan?" Hoss nodded so he began by telling Hoss about the malaria and the general mess that Adam had described of his life as he had begun to recover from that malady.

"Well, I think we need to tell that to Pa and to Joe. Sounds like Adam wanted them to know that too. I know it will make them feel somewhat better about things."

"He told me too that he thinks he made a mistake about his wife. He said he got mad about some things she did and didn't like a woman trying to tell him what to do. She gave him some kind of ultimatum, and he left her. Now he wishes he didn't, and he's planning to go back to see if he can make things right if he can, go back that is. He said once he saw his family, that's what he was planning to do."

"Maybe we oughta keep that part to ourselves for now. Sounds like he mighta been trying out his thoughts on that one seeing how it sounded to come out and say it. I'm not so sure how much he's actually planning on doing that so let's keep that one between us. When Adam feels better, he can make his mind up on that one."

"You're worried too on how your father might feel hearing him say he's leaving again so soon after he got back."

"Yeah, that too. I don't want to bring that up unless it's a sure thing that he's going. I'd like to let Pa enjoy some time with him first without worrying that he's leaving. Course first, we gotta get him healthy again." All the while they had been talking, Hoss was spooning water into Adam's mouth and patiently waiting until he swallowed each spoonful. It was a labor intensive process but essential to his brother's survival.

"I could do that for a while."

"You get yourself something to eat first and then maybe I'll let you have a turn while I go see to the horses and take care of business. I'll probably need you to spell me tonight for a bit too so I can get some sleep so plan on turning in early. I'll bring in more firewood and water when I take care of the horses. We brought some oil so the lantern can burn all night long." Hoss noticed Candy scratching under the makeshift blanket shirt he had. "I'm sorry that's all you got to wear. When Pa and Joe get here tomorrow, we'll get you outfitted with something more comfortable."

"It isn't that. These scratches from that cat are all itching something fierce. Feels like when I first got them."

"You peel off that blanket I cut for ya. I want to see what them cuts from that cat look like. I cleaned them up but them cat's always got such dirty cuts they give ya."

Once Candy took off the makeshift blanket shirt that Hoss had made for him, Hoss looked him over and then stood with his hands on his hips. Next he went rummaging in Adam's saddlebags until he found his shaving kit.

"What are you going to do? Shave me? It's an odd way to take care of itching."

"Nah, washing them cuts with whisky dried em out so much that they're itching. You need some salve or grease on 'em. Adam sometimes shaves twice a day so he used to keep some salve with his shaving kit cause his face could get irritated by shaving so much. Yup, here's some. It won't take much. I just gotta soften that skin up some and the itching should go away."

Once Hoss applied the salve, Candy had almost instant relief from the itching. "Does your brother plan for everything? He seems to think everything through."

"He already done told you he don't, but when he's got time, he does. When he gets in a temper, he and Joe ain't that much different. The real difference is that he don't get in a temper so often. He broods on things longer too. He frets on 'em and works on 'em like a dog on a bone until he's worked every little bit out of it that he can."

"And sometimes too much?"

"Yep, that's about it. Sometimes, he thinks bout things too much. Kinda like you do too and then you find that worrying bout it is more trouble than the problem was in the first place. Sometimes you gotta let things go and move on."

"You think it was a mistake for me to leave and try to get her to marry me."

"Don't matter so much what I think. What do you think?"

"That's about what I think. Adam asked me if I gave up too easy. I said I didn't and the more I thought about it since he asked me that, I realized I did give up too easily, and I know the reason why. I never had a chance in the first place. Once I saw her, I knew she would never say yes and come back here. She wanted a man in a nice safe job like clerking in a store, and I could never live like that, so if I kept at her and she said yes, well then, I wouldn't have wanted her to say yes. Does that even make sense?"

"Yeah, it does. So now what?"

"Hoss, I still want to get married, so I guess I look around here for a woman who's willing to live here and accept a man who wants to live here."

"Well, there's a bunch of Irish who moved in a short time ago. If you like Irish gals, there's a bunch of 'em there. Seems when the Irish come, they're the only ones who bring about as many women as they bring men and not all of 'em are married."

Once Hoss was done with caring for Candy, he took care of the horses, and then Candy got some rest giving Hoss a break in the early morning hours. Near dawn, Hoss was up again and sent Candy back to the bunk to rest. By midmorning, they heard the sounds of horses and a wagon and knew that Ben had probably started out at the first signs of dawn.

Chapter 6

"Has he been awake at all?" Ben Cartwright sat at his eldest son's side and held Adam's left hand. He could see how much pain he was in and the sheen of sweat that covered his body even though it was cool in the cabin. He watched as Adam twitched and groaned even as Hoss spooned water into his mouth. Hoss had pulled the bunk away from the wall to make it easier to tend to his brother. Ben noted that it was dark in the cabin and wondered why they had never put any windows in this one. Hoss told him the story of how Adam and Candy were hurt, and that made Ben feel a bit guilty about never thinking to put a window or two in this cabin. Hoss saw the downcast look even as he handed his father a small basin of water and a cloth to sponge Adam's face to help cool him.

"Pa, don't go feeling guilty. That cat was waiting to attack them. If it hadn't a been in here it woulda been outside. Candy and Adam talked about that and came to terms with it before Adam lost his senses to the fever. That cat was near crazy with its injuries and hunger. It was gonna do it no matter what. At least here, they was able to help one another. It could just as easy come up behind one of 'em outside somewhere, and it coulda turned out a whole lot worse than this."

Nodding but not sure if he accepted all of that yet, Ben had a question though that was the same one that had been bothering Hoss. "His fever seems very high. It seems worse than it should be. Do you have any idea why that might be?"

"No, I been doing all I can to keep him cool, but the fever just keeps building. It's the worst thing for him now. The wound actually seems to be getting a bit better, but the fever is getting worse."

"We've got the wagon all set for taking him home. Doctor Martin should be at the house when we get there. Hop Sing was in town with his cousins, but I sent word so he should be back as well. I brought that bag that Hop Sing had along on the trail drive, but what he might have in there that you could use I don't know."

"Probably some of that tea he uses to let a man rest easy. Once we brew some of that and get it into Adam, then we can move him. He seems to be in so much pain that we need to do something for him before we move him."

As Ben caressed Adam's face with the cool wet cloth, his son seemed to notice and turned slightly toward him. He didn't open his eyes but did say one thing. "Cat?"

"No, son. The cat is dead. He hurt you, but we're going to take good care of you now. Just rest easy."

"Cat?"

"No, Adam, the cat is dead. This is Pa, and we're going to take you home. Hoss and Joe are here too. Candy took the best care of you that he could, but we need to get you home. Hoss has some tea brewing. Can you drink that?"

"Cat?"

"He's probably a bit out of his head with the fever, Pa. Let's just see if he'll drink the tea now that he's at least awake some."

Without opening his eyes, Adam did drink the tea that Hoss had prepared. While Hoss and Ben worked with a couple of the hands to get Adam into the wagon, Joe helped Candy. Then they packed up what was left in the cabin, and got the horses from the corral. The last of the tea was poured into a canteen and Hoss handed it to his father who sat with Adam in the back of the wagon. It was easier to have Adam drink by having his head resting on Ben's lap so that was how they sat there. Candy reclined against one of the saddles and soon closed his eyes and drifted into sleep only awakening later when he heard Joe ask if his father wanted the other saddle to prop up Adam.

"No, Joe, he's been gone for a long time. I'm cherishing this time holding him. He wouldn't let me do this if he was well. I'm going to take advantage of the situation. I don't think I've been able to hold him like this since he was about five years old and got sick."

Joe watched as his father smoothed some hair back from Adam's brow. Like his own, Joe noted that there was mostly gray in that hair now. "I'll ride ahead with the hands and the horses then and let them know you're on the way. Is there anything you want me to bring back here?"

"Joe, I think we've got what we need except it may take most of the rest of the day to get home though. We can't travel very fast with Adam in this condition."

"Mr. Cartwright, maybe I should ride back with Joe so I can tell Doctor Martin everything I know about how Adam got hurt and what we did for him afterwards."

"Candy, are you sure you're up to riding?"

"I'm in pretty good shape now with everything Hoss did for me and the food that Hop Sing sent up. With the sleep I got last night, and the rest here in the wagon, I can ride the rest of the way. Joe will look out for me."

"Thank you, Candy. I'm sure Doctor Martin will appreciate knowing what happened."

"I'll let him know. We'll have everything as ready as we can."

Hoss stopped the wagon then so that Candy could take his saddle. Joe helped him get Scout ready for riding and then the two of them rode with the hands and took Buck and Adam's horse with them back to the Ponderosa. Hoss snapped the reins then and the wagon began making its slow progress to the ranch house as Ben helped Adam drink and did his best to keep his son cool. The mild temperature and light breeze helped, but Ben still worried about the high fever and what it could mean. He also worried about the information that Hoss repeated from what Candy had told him of the conversations that he had with Adam. It seemed that Adam had been having a very difficult year. Somehow Ben had known that something was very wrong when no letters had arrived for so long. Every now and then Adam would rouse slightly. Each time he would say "Cat." as if that was the only thought that he had. Ben assumed that his injuries so dominated his mind that he could think of nothing else.

Once Hoss and Ben finally arrived at the house after what seemed an interminable amount of time, there was a flurry of activity as Joe had organized the transfer of Adam to his old room upstairs with near perfect efficiency. Upon entering the room later, Ben was surprised to see that Joe had gotten some of Adam's things out of storage so that the room resembled the way Adam's room had looked when he had left seven years earlier.

"It's the best I could do from memory, Pa. I thought it might help if he woke up and things looked a lot like he remembered."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that, Joe. I know that I do, very much. Thank you."

Doctor Martin told them he would appreciate it if they would leave though so that he and Hop Sing could tend to Adam with no distractions. About a half hour later, Paul walked down the stairs to talk with Candy and the family. He was as perplexed by the fever as they had been.

"With what Candy did initially and then Hoss cleaning it out and then washing it with whisky, the wound is fairly clean. I cleaned it again with carbolic acid solution and removed some dead and diseased tissue but there wasn't even that much to do. I've stitched it closed now and packed it tightly. It should heal well. I can see no reason for that fever to be so high. Candy, did he seem sick at all before he was attacked? Any sweating or complaints of a headache or anything like that?"

Candy shook his head.

"Was he able to eat?"

"Yeah, in fact he cooked all the meals. He didn't seem to have any problem eating at all. He didn't have much to work with while we were stuck inside because of the rain. He still managed."

Paul shook his head again. "Ben, I examined him for ticks or bites to see if he had gotten something like that. I looked for rashes. I can't find any reason for him to have such a terrible fever to put him in bed like this. I remember Adam as such a strong man. It would have taken something very serious back then to knock him off his feet like this."

Hoss shook his head. "Maybe that malaria he had made him too weak to fight this off." When he said that, Ben, Candy, and Joe nodded, but Paul jerked his head toward Hoss.

"Malaria? When did he have malaria?"

"He told Candy he had malaria real bad this past year."

Candy filled in more of the story. "Yeah, he told me he would start getting better and then it would knock him back again. Said he spent months in bed with it."

"That's it. That's got to be it." Paul started rummaging in his bag.

"What's it?" Ben sat up wondering what Paul meant.

"Ben, malaria is well known to relapse. We get miners here who travel through Panama and Nicaragua and get malaria. Sometimes when they're here, they relapse. I don't get many cases, but in San Francisco and other places in California, it's quite common. I keep some quinine on hand. I thought I might have some in my bag because I was treating a miner not too long ago. I don't. I hope I have some in my office. If I don't, I'll wire doctors in the region and hopefully have some here by tomorrow."

"You think it's his malaria relapsing?"

"Yes, the fever that was caused by the infection from the wound probably kicked off the malaria again. With some quinine, he should recover quickly. Until then, do what you can to keep him comfortable and cool. I'm going to town to get some quinine. I'll be back as soon as I get some."

It was a difficult night as Ben refused to leave Adam's side. He listened as his son mumbled. "Cat." He bathed his face, chest, and arms and tried to cool him. When Hoss and Joe insisted that they had to take a turn, he would sit in a chair by the bed and doze off for brief periods but wouldn't leave. Until Adam opened his eyes and greeted him, Ben was determined to stay. By the next day, Doctor Martin was back with quinine and within a day, the fever was diminishing and Adam was awake for very brief periods of time although he fell asleep without talking. It was reassuring to his family though that he was able to open his eyes and see them even if he was too weak yet to stay awake for more than a minute or two. Each time they would give him something to drink, which would seem to take all the energy he could expend. The first time he opened his eyes and was able to keep them open and speak, he saw his father with his head bent down and his lips moving in silent prayer as he grasped Adam's right hand between both of his. Hoss was drying Adam's face and chest, which felt nice.

"Pa, your hands are very warm."

"Son, you don't know how good it is to hear you say that."

"Adam, dadburnit, we been waiting two days to hear you say something. I woulda thought you coulda come up with something a sight better than telling Pa his hands are warm."

In a soft but clear voice, Adam was able to respond. "Sorry, Hoss. It seems like maybe I was having some trouble thinking. How's Candy? Is he all right?"

Hoss nodded and answered before their father could. "He's fine, and not in the way you used to use the word. He's really fine. Once they knew that you were getting better, he and Joe went out to do some riding and look the place over. Some things have changed in the couple of years he's been gone."

"I suppose a lot more has changed since I left. Candy told me some of the things. Pa, Hoss, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you went through some of those hard times."

"Son, we all went through some difficult times from what I've heard, but we're all together now so that's all that matters."

Still a bit groggy, Adam still understood enough from that to realize that Candy had not told them that he planned to leave again to settle things with his wife that he had not settled before leaving Australia. He sighed and nodded. That could wait. Hop Sing arrived with a tray as if he somehow had known when Adam would awake. For a short time as Adam was able to have the tea and biscuits, Ben and Hoss told him quite a bit of what had happened on the Ponderosa while he was gone filling him in on what had happened in the past year especially because Ben's letters had never reached him. Adam had questions about Candy too because he was very interested in this man who had become so close to the family. Before Ben or Hoss could offer more food or beverages, there was a knock on the door. Joe was there with Candy.

"Ah, we were riding and there was a carriage with a lady. She was lost trying to find her way here. She insisted that we bring her here and wouldn't take no for an answer." Joe was surprised to see Adam was awake. "Ah, Adam, she says she's your wife." Joe turned then and made room for a woman to step into the room. She did, and Ben and Hoss got their first look at Adam's wife. She was shorter than they expected and dark haired which they did expect. She had brown eyes and was otherwise not unusual in any way. She was attractive but wouldn't turn any heads when she walked through town. She stepped toward the bed where Adam was resting.

"Cat, what are you doing here?"

Chapter 7

Quickly, Ben moved aside to let Catherine move closer to Adam. He as well as the others now had a better understanding of why Adam called out "Cat." so often when he had been delirious with fever. He had not been thinking of the cat. He had been calling for his wife. He may have walked away from her in anger, but it was very clear to the four men there that he loved his wife very much although it was difficult to tell by the reaction he had to her arrival. Apparently that had stirred up some of the anger again. Catherine seemed tired too and not ready to deal with Adam. She asked only the most basic of questions.

"You've been injured?"

"It's not bad, but it stirred up the malaria again. I've been treated with quinine again and it worked as it usually does. I'll be fine in a few days."

The two were not ready to talk in front of the others, and neither was in any condition to talk much anyway. Cat took Adam's hand and squeezed it hoping for a response and got that at least when he squeezed back. He was very tired however and the shock of seeing her had added to that. Ben noted the cool reception and wondered at that, but knew too that Adam was a master at hiding his feelings. For now, he thought to let the two of them alone for a short time so he escorted the others from the room.

"How did you get here? How did you know where I would be?"

"As soon as I knew you left with all your things, I checked the ships. Once I found which ship you took, I was sure where you were going. Much the same as you, I suspect, I commandeered another of father's ships. About now I would think he's quite upset with both of us but especially with me. He would have expected something like that from you."

"What made you do it?"

"I gave you the ultimatum, but as it turns out, I was giving it to myself. If I have to make a choice between you and my father, I had to choose you. Is it too late to choose you?"

"Cat, there's a lot we have to settle between us."

Catherine noticed that he had not answered her question and her shoulders dropped. She had hoped as she traveled that he was no longer so terribly angry with her and would forgive her especially as she had traveled thousands of miles to ask for that forgiveness even if it was extremely difficult for her to get those words to pass her lips. She knew she had that same pride and stubbornness that she had accused Adam of having in abundance. She dropped her eyes so he wouldn't see the tears forming there. It was too late though for he already had.

"Cat, I meant it when I said we had things to settle between us. We do need to talk, but right now, I'm exhausted, and you must be tired. Can we do this later?"

"Of course we can do this later. I only traveled a few thousand miles so what's a few more hours or days?"

"Catherine, please, not now."

"Very well, tell me when you're ready to talk then. This is a big house much as you described it. I assume they can find a place for me to stay so that I don't have to go back to town. I might get lost again. It's a much bigger country than I imagined."

"Yes, of course, there's a room for you. My father wouldn't think of having you stay in town." But Adam did wonder how they would manage because he knew that Candy now occupied one of the rooms in the house. When Catherine opened the door though, Ben was there with an offer immediately obviously waiting to get a chance to meet his daughter-in-law and offer his hospitality knowing that sharing Adam's room was not an option at that time.

"We haven't been properly introduced yet. I'm Ben Cartwright, Adam's father."

"I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Cartwright. I have heard so much about you and your magnificent ranch. I'm Catherine but as you have already heard, many people call me Cat although my father abhors the name likening it to that held by women in bawdy houses and such. He never did tell me how he knew such things and blustered a bit when I asked him." Cat had a wicked gleam in her eye when she said that, and Ben had to grin knowing that she obviously enjoyed teasing her father like that.

"I can see that you have a similar sense of humor to your husband. Now, Candy has offered to move his things into the downstairs guest room so that you can have his room next door. There is a connecting door." Ben thought that might be needed not knowing the state of Adam's marriage at that point but he did know that his son did love his wife regardless of what else had transpired between them. "Hop Sing has already been in there freshening up the room for you. There's some cool water in a pitcher and some lavender soap he keeps on hand for our female guests. I hope that it will be all that you need. If you would like to rest a bit before dinner, we usually have dinner about six."

Looking back at the bed where Adam had fallen asleep while they chatted, Catherine had a suggestion. "If possible, I would like to have my dinner here with Adam."

"I'll have Hop Sing bring up a tray for the two of you. Adam has only started eating solid food today so I'm not sure what he'll want, but I'm sure Hop Sing will provide a variety."

"May I ask who is this Hop Sing?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. You haven't met him yet. He is our cook and a dear part of our family. He came to us when the boys were very young and has been with us ever since. Most of us think we couldn't run the place without him. Sometimes I think he may be the one who thinks that more than any of us."

"Yes, now I remember Adam talking about him. I guess I needed to put him in context to remember. There were so many stories he told, and it was so hard to keep everything straight with nothing concrete. Thank you for your hospitality. I would like to take a short nap."

"I'm very pleased that you're here. I'm sure that Adam is too."

"I hope that he is."

Catherine turned and went into the room that Ben had indicated before he had a chance to reply. Ben had heard the sadness in her voice and wondered if there was any way that he could help. He assumed he could not but hoped his son was up to the task of repairing his marriage for it was clear the two of them cared very deeply for each other.

That evening and the next day, Catherine charmed the family with her ready wit and her teasing. She was willing to enjoy a joke too even at her expense and quickly became a willing participant in the banter with Joe, Hoss, and Candy. Ben enjoyed seeing her fit in so well with the family. Even Hop Sing smiled to see her especially as she praised his teas asking for more each time he served her a new flavor. All of them noted though that her smile diminished and her shoulders dropped a little each time she climbed the stairs to see Adam. He was polite and respectful but there was a coolness there that all of them noticed. For two nights, Catherine slept in the room next to Adam. They talked but never got around to the things that kept that wall between them. Surprisingly it was Candy who was the first to say anything about it to Adam, and he did it without planning to make it a topic of discussion. Candy thought it was time to talk with Adam about what had happened at the cabin now that Adam was no longer in pain and could talk reasonably. He asked Ben if he thought it would be all right to go up and talk to Adam about some things. Ben nodded and Candy climbed the stairs as the family watched and wondered what he wanted to say.

"Adam, I came up here to make an apology to you."

"Candy, I already told you that it wasn't your fault. That cat was crazy with hunger and hurt and was going to jump one of us at some point."

"That's not it, if you'd let me say my piece. Adam, I'm sorry about how I talked to you in the cabin. I had no right to judge you then without knowing your life and your reasons for what you did. It was none of my business. Now I'm here in the house in the middle of your family. I plan to move back into the bunkhouse. I shouldn't be in the house with your family."

Struggling to get into a more comfortable position so he could speak more easily, Adam needed Candy's help. Once he was leaning back against the pillows, he took a moment to catch his breath and collect his thoughts. Candy was going to use that to escape what was a difficult situation for him. It had been difficult to admit he was wrong to the proud man who lay in that bed because of the mistake he had made. Adam wasn't about to let him go though. He barked out a forceful "No!" that stopped Candy from leaving. He did close his eyes for a moment then, took a deep breath, looked at Candy, and began talking.

"Don't try to diminish what you did or your feelings for my family. I know that you were showing your loyalty to them and your love for them by what you said. I guess the way you saw it, I had hurt them and that bothered you. I could tell up there at that line shack, how important they were to you, and how important you were to them. I admit I was surprised and maybe even a bit jealous when I found out you were living here in the house, but never would I deny my family the love of a good friend and a good man. It would be incredibly selfish of me to try to push you away. Instead, I would like you to consider the possibility that we might become friends. I'm not an easy man to like, but maybe you could be willing to give me some leeway because of my family."

"Well, I suppose maybe we could work on being friends when we're not arguing, insulting each other, or telling each other how foolish we are."

"I don't mind honesty."

Candy paused then and long enough for Adam to wonder what he wanted to say but was hesitating to verbalize.

"Just spit it out. I'm stuck in this bed so no matter how bad it is, I can't do anything about it that should worry you."

"I don't want to hurt you. I owe you that much."

"I don't think you can hurt me with words."

"All right then. Your wife is here. You told me that you needed to make it right with her and you were going to go back to Australia to do it. What happened? She came by herself a couple of thousand miles over the ocean and then took the train here by herself from San Francisco in a strange country she's never seen before, and she gets to town and rents a carriage to find the Ponderosa all on her own. She's did all that, and she's here now, but apparently you hardly talk to her?"

"I talk with her."

"About anything that matters? I see her when she walks up those stairs to see you. She's a woman with a lot of life in her, but the light in her dims when she has to face you. She looks sadder and sadder every time she leaves this room. It was like she had so much spirit and spunk when Joe and I first saw her in that carriage like nothing could stop her. Now every hour of the day it seems like she loses a little bit more of it. Pretty soon she isn't going to have any left. Is that what you want? You trying to beat her down into the floor?"

"We're picking right up where we left off in that line shack."

"You said you wanted to give friendship a chance, but you don't want me to be myself. This is who I am. I say what's on my mind to my friends. I figure any man worth being a friend has to have enough of a backbone to hear what I've got to say."

Adam said nothing to that but Candy could see his jaw muscles working as he digested everything that he had heard. He had seen enough of that in the line shack to know that he did that when he was angry. It took some time but when Adam finally got ready to talk, Candy thought it was going to be an angry retort. He was surprised.

"You're a lot like Hoss and a little bit like Joe. I can see why they like you so much. You've given me some things to think about, and I guess I need to take some of my own advice too. About seven years ago I told my father that the only impossible journey is the one you never take. I've been thinking that something I wanted was impossible, and you made me realize it was because I wasn't trying. Thank you."

As Adam and Candy finished talking, Ben stepped into the room. "Voices were rather loud up here. Is everything all right?"

"Just fine, Mr. Cartwright. Adam and I were just discussing a few things between friends. Right, Adam?"

With a thumbs-up and a cheeky grin, Adam agreed. Ben shook his head and looked up as if to ask for help. It had been difficult enough dealing with three of them at a time and now it would be four apparently.

Chapter 8

That night as Cat slipped into bed after bidding good night to Adam, she sat bolt upright in the bed almost as soon as she her head had first hit the pillow. Thoughts came in rapid succession. He had said he was cold. His chest had been bare though except for the light bandage he still had over his wound so she wondered if he wasn't wearing anything under the covers. He had said the bed was big and that he rolled around at night never getting comfortable. He said she would understand how much he wanted to get out of that bed if she spent a whole night and day in there with him. He had asked her if she was cold in her bed. He had asked if she was comfortable in her bed. Had he been asking her to share his bed? She slipped out of her bed and donned her robe entering Adam's room by the connecting door instead of through the hallway. He still had the lamp turned up on the bedside table and was reclining on the pillows as he had been when she had been there a half hour earlier. She stopped not knowing what to do next.

"I was wondering if you would come back."

"You wanted me to?"

"Yes, I wanted you to, but I wanted it to be your idea."

"Are you wearing anything?"

His grin was his answer. She untied the sash of her robe and dropped her robe to the floor. Then she untied the ribbons of her gown and let that slip to the floor. Adam's eyes roved over her body as she walked to the bed. He pulled the covers back so that she could get into the bed beside him.

"Adam, there's still a lot we need to talk about."

"Yes, there is, but now we'll talk about it as husband and wife who love each other very much. Everything else can be taken care of as long as that's true."

They kissed then a bit tentatively at first almost as new lovers do when they're unsure of what the other expects, but quickly they regained the confidence of the time spent together and the kiss deepened and became more passionate. Adam slid his right hand down Cat's body touching her intimately and confirming what his eyes had told him earlier about her figure being more full than he remembered. Their lovemaking was over faster than usual because they could not wait to satisfy their urges after being apart for so long. As Cat rested her head on his right shoulder, he gently caressed her back and shoulder with his right hand and she softly stroked his chest and abdomen almost tickling him. They needed the touching. The contact as much as the lovemaking was cementing their relationship again.

"What changed since this morning?"

"Candy gave me a serious talking to. I haven't had one of those since Pa gave me one when I was seventeen and came home after drinking and gambling, and ah, doing a other things that I shouldn't have done."

"Oh, and what were those things?"

"I think you know."

"What things did Candy talk about?"

"He reminded me of things I told him that I said I was going to do and wasn't doing. When we were together in that line shack I said I made a mistake with you. I was a fool and I needed to go back to Australia and set things right with you. And then you were here and I was being a jackass again. He noticed."

"Oh, I think they all noticed."

"Woman, remind me again why I'm so madly in love with you."

"Because just like Candy, I'll always tell you the truth and I love you madly too. Do you want to talk now or in the morning?"

"You may have done most of the work, but I am very tired after all that exertion. I would rather talk in the morning. I would like to have you sleep with me tonight, but in the morning, you might want to go back to the other bed. Pa is likely to stop in here to see how I am, and he's not expecting to find you here. Both of you could be embarrassed a bit."

"When I get up to use the chamberpot, I'll go back to the other bed. Tomorrow, may I move my things in here?"

"Tomorrow you will move your things in here. I'd like to get out of bed too. I am feeling stronger. The quinine is working. Perhaps you could help me get dressed too?"

"Yes, and you have that nice table by the window. We could have breakfast there and talk. Would you like that?"

"Yes, so now we have a plan. Good night, sweetheart."

"Good night, love, and thank you for inviting me back to your bed. I love you."

"I do love you too, very much."

There are things about a plan that have to be done. One is to make sure that all contingencies are covered. In this case, Cat was very tired after her trip and not sleeping well after her arrival. She didn't wake as she usually did because she slept soundly next to Adam. Ben had not slept well either wondering how Adam was doing. About five in the morning, Ben awoke and slipped on his robe. He intended to check on Adam and then go downstairs for a cup of coffee. He walked down the hall to Adam's room with a small lamp and opened the door as quietly as he could and stepped inside raising the lamp to see if his son was resting well. He momentarily was shocked and then smiled as he stepped back and pulled the door closed. Cat was resting against Adam's right side with the covers pulled up under her arm. Her bare shoulders and Adam's bare chest were all that Ben needed to see to draw the correct conclusion. His son and Cat were living once more as husband and wife so Ben had to assume they were working out whatever problems there were between them. He was going to enjoy that cup of coffee very much. He planned to tell Hop Sing of the new development for not only would it please him, he would want to prepare a special breakfast for the two of them. When Hoss and Candy came down to breakfast, they were surprised that Cat wasn't there.

"Hey, Pa, where's Cat? She's been down here before me the last two mornings."

"She's sleeping in this morning. She and Adam will have breakfast in their room later. Hop Sing will bring them a tray whenever they're ready for it."

"Their room? You mean?"

Ben noted that Candy was smiling when Hoss asked the questions. "You don't seem at all surprised."

"Well, I gave your son a necessary talking to yesterday. It seems it may have done some good."

"So those were the loud words I heard?"

"Well, some of them. We seem to communicate better that way."

"Oh, Candy, I understand that very well."

"Yeah, Candy, you shoulda heard some of them conversations that Pa and Adam used to have. They like to raise the roof on this place. Joe and I used to stay on the porch and wait to see who won."

Ben had a question then. "Oh, and how did you know who won?" He pursed his lips and waited for Hoss to answer.

Oh, lordy, I done stepped in it again. "Well, Pa, now I guess it wasn't that one of ya won so much as Adam usually wanted to do something and you didn't want him to do it, so we waited to see ifn he was gonna do it or not."

"So if he did it, he won? It wasn't that he convinced me with a rational and logical argument, and that as a reasonable man, I agreed with him?"

"Yeah, Pa, yeah, that sounds about right."

"Oh, Hoss, I'm teasing you. I know that Adam and I had our go-rounds. My guess is that those aren't over yet, but now he has someone else he can stand toe-to-toe with and I'm not talking only about Candy. He's married a very strong woman too."

Candy mused aloud. "I wonder what kind of kid they're going to have."

Hoss hadn't noticed what others might have. "Well, when they have one."

Candy didn't say any more but he did see Ben raise an eyebrow because apparently he had seen the same things that Candy had seen. However Hoss must have thought that Cat was buxom instead. When Joe came downstairs, he had the same question as Hoss and was as surprised by the answer.

Upstairs, Adam had awakened first. Seeing how light the room was, he correctly guessed that his father had already probably opened the door and seen Cat resting by his son's side. Adam liked the feel of her there and waited a short time before the urgency of his need made him call her name softly until she groggily asked what he wanted.

"Wake up, sweetheart, I need your help. Pa must have decided to let you help me because you were already here."

Surprised at his words, Cat pulled the covers up to her neck and looked toward the door.

"It's too late now. I'm sure he was here a couple of hours ago by now. It does mean that we don't have to find a way to tell the family that we're sharing a room. They all know by now, but I do need you to help me sit by the side of the bed."

Once Cat helped Adam do what he needed to do, she was going to go to the other bedroom to get some clothing, but he called to her and pulled her to stand by him for a kiss. Very gently he ran his right hand down her neck and across her chest and abdomen until it rested on the slight bump he had noticed the night before.

"And what's this? I think this is what we should talk about first."

"You're not upset, are you?"

"Not at all. I'm very happy. I noticed last night, but I had other things on my mind then. How far along are you?"

"About five months, I think. The doctor said it could be six because I was so upset it could have thrown off the counting, but I haven't gotten very big yet so I think it is the five."

"About Christmas then. It will be a good present for us and a good way to start the new year. Are you frightened?"

"A little. Especially being here and not knowing what to expect. I was afraid of how you might react to me arriving here, and I didn't know how you would react to this news either. I wanted to tell you right away, but you didn't seem to want to talk to me about anything important."

"I was in shock seeing you here. It shook me up more than I wanted to admit. Now we can talk about everything. We'll come to an understanding or at least put it behind us and move on."

"You're still very upset with me about some things, aren't you?"

"Get dressed and then help me get dressed. After we have breakfast, we can talk. Know that I love you though, and that I am committed to being with you. There isn't anything that will change that. All right?"

"All right. Adam, I do love you, and I only did what I did because I love you."

"I know. Now get dressed. I can tell you're getting chilled."

Adam waited on the side of the bed until Cat returned dressed for the day. She looked for a shirt but couldn't find one. She did find a robe hanging in the closet and a freshly laundered pair of pants and some drawers. There was little else there for Adam to wear.

"Candy must have used my shirts for bandages. Perhaps the robe will do for today. I had the rest of my luggage shipped here. It's probably at the stage office in town."

"Why didn't you travel here by train with your things?"

"I wanted to see the country. It's beautiful and I missed it."

Smiling because she knew he also probably needed some time to think and wanted the solitude, Cat got back to what they needed to do. "We'll get the robe on you, and then when you're sitting in the chair, I can help you clean up and shave. Maybe later, Hop Sing can bring more water and we can bathe you more and I'll wash your hair for you."

"I'd like that. My back and my hair are beginning to itch."

"You've spent too much time lying on your back. I should probably wash your back and massage your back before you even put on the robe. Put on the drawers and I'll help you to the chair."

Hop Sing interrupted that a short time later but approved of what he found. Cat was massaging Adam's back when he arrived with a breakfast tray. Adam had his head resting on his right forearm on the table as Cat slowly massaged the muscles of his back. There were some red spots on his skin, which were pressure points from lying in the same general position for so long. Cat asked Hop Sing if anyone could go to town to see if Adam's luggage had arrived. Meanwhile, Hop Sing said that he could find some things for Adam to wear until then. He was very pleased that Catherine was taking such good care of number one son and that the two of them were back together again. He helped Cat get the robe around Adam before leaving the two of them to their breakfast. Almost as if he knew that they needed to talk, there was a full pot of coffee and one of tea each wrapped in a cozy to keep it warm. Then it was time to talk.

"Why didn't you stay and talk to me about everything at home?"

"I was at a distinct disadvantage there with no standing in the courts as a foreigner. You and your father had me declared incompetent, and you gave me an ultimatum. Accept what your father had done, or you wouldn't help me fight that in court."

"Adam, when you were sick, you were incompetent. Your partners were stealing from you, and they told you all these fanciful things, and you believed them. I had to do it so I could sell your interests and save your investments. Father took that money and invested it for you."

"Yes, in his company."

"He didn't cheat you. He never would. He's an honest man, but if you took all your money out of his company at once as you threatened to do, you would have ruined him."

"It was no less than he deserved."

"Now you can see why he was so worried and why I was so worried too. I love both of you, and it hurt so much to see you so at odds. Adam, I only wanted the two of you to work together. I know now that wouldn't have worked. Father would never have accepted you as an equal. But you took one of his ships. Wasn't that enough revenge?"

"It was going to Nicaragua anyway. I only took it a little off course." Adam couldn't help himself then and grinned. However there was another matter that he needed to understand. "I was shocked to see you here. Not only was it a huge surprise to me that you would travel alone, but I was shocked that your father would let you leave Sydney much less leave the country." Then it was Cat's turn to smile surprising Adam who had to wonder what was funny. "I'm missing something here. Care to fill in the details?"

"Adam, you must know that my father would never let me leave. He wouldn't even consent to you courting me until you promised not to take me off to America even for a visit without his permission."

"Yes, and at that time, I was too love-struck to realize that he would never grant that permission. So what changed? Is it because you're with child?"

"No, he didn't know about that. He still doesn't. I didn't think he had a right to know about that before you did. Adam, I ran away from home."

For a moment, Adam had nothing to say. Cat had always been so dedicated to her father acting as hostess in his home ever since her mother had died. She had bowed to his wishes even insisting that she and Adam live in his grand manor home after they were married. Because Adam loved her so much, he had agreed to everything she had asked, but it had caused resentment to grow. Now she had broken free of her father to come to him without even knowing if he would forgive her and accept her. He had never loved her more. He looked at her and knew how vulnerable she was at this moment. He put out his arms even though he could barely raise his left arm.

"I'd stand and pick you up and carry you to our bed if I could. You'll have to settle for coming over here and hugging me if you don't mind."

They hugged and kissed then sealing their reconciliation.

"We agree then. We forgive each other for the past, and we look only to the future?"

"Yes, and we have a wonderful future right here." Adam placed a hand on the baby bump.

Chapter 9

As Ben passed Adam's door on the way to his room to get an old shirt for Adam to wear, he thought he heard Cat crying. He had such high hopes after seeing the two of them together that morning and his heart sank hearing that. He got the shirt and returned to Adam's room. It was quiet so he knocked on the door. Adam called out for him to enter. He did and found Adam sitting alone at the table with the empty breakfast dishes and cups on a tray in front of him. What surprised Ben was that Adam smiled.

"Oh, a shirt. That's nice. I have pants, and there's an old pair of slippers, but I don't think you would want me sitting around without a shirt."

"You're feeling better then?"

"Pa, I'm feeling better than I have in months. I have a lot to tell you, but I'd rather try to do get downstairs first if you don't mind. I'm not sure how strong I am, and I'd rather only tell the story once if that's possible."

At that point, Catherine walked into the room with her luggage. Ben feared the worst but she was smiling and set the luggage on the bed thoroughly confusing him. When she opened her bags and began putting her things in the bureau drawer, he had to ask.

"You have reconciled then?"

"Pa, I'm sorry. I thought you would have stopped in to check on me this morning and seen us together. I would have told you right away if I had realized you didn't know. Yes, we have reconciled. And we have great news. Pa, you're going to be a grandfather in about four months if Cat has calculated this correctly."

""Oh, I did, I mean, I did see you this morning, and I am sorry about that, but a few minutes ago I heard Cat crying and I thought that there was trouble between you again."

"No, I was holding her and I touched where the baby is growing and I said if the baby is a girl we could call her Sarah Elizabeth after our mothers. She started crying then. It meant a lot to her."

"Ah, what if it's a boy?"

"We won't be naming him after her father. He's a gargantuan blowhard and I will not have a son named Pleasant either. He doesn't live up to his name anyway."

"Adam and father didn't get on very well."

"I gathered that."

"Candy can have his room back."

"He told me this morning that he's fine with the room downstairs, and in fact, the boys would like him to take his old job as foreman. He wondered if you could design a new room for him and add it to the bunkhouse. He seems to think that would be more appropriate. Besides, in a few months, you're going to need that room next to yours."

Adam couldn't help smiling again. In a few short days, his life had turned around dramatically. He owed Candy quite a lot for pointing out some errors in his thinking but first he needed to tell his family what had transpired over the previous year. For that, he needed to get downstairs. He asked his father if Hoss was still in the house and if he could help him down the stairs. Ben was going to offer to help but knew that if Adam stumbled, Hoss was the best choice to be the one to catch him. By the time Hoss got to the room, Adam was dressed in Ben's old shirt, a pair of black pants with a belt, and slippers. He stood with Cat's help, and put his right arm on Hoss' shoulder. Hoss took a good hold on the back of the belt and they moved down the hall and down the stairs. Adam was tired by the time he finished the trek but not as much as he feared he would be. Doctor Martin had been correct. The wound wasn't nearly as serious as they had originally thought. It was the malaria that had made it seem that way. With the quinine knocking down the fever, he was recovering rapidly.

"You probably want to know why I didn't write. I had planned to visit. I got as close as Nicaragua and got hit with a case of malaria. Instead of continuing with my trip, I was sent back to Australia. I don't even remember most of that time. I was in no shape to write to anyone. I had a difficult time. Each time that it seemed I was recovering, I would relapse. I was confined to my bedroom, and Catherine and her father had me declared incompetent."

As Adam's family gasped almost collectively at that information, Adam shrugged. He was going to have to come to terms with the next part of the story, but for the moment, he told it as simply as he could.

"My businesses were in mining and engineering. My partners were stealing from me, which I could not know because of my illness. Cat sold my interests in those firms to save my investments and her father invested the money in his own firm. When I recovered, I was angry about all of that not fully understanding all that had happened. I wanted the court order lifted and my money back under my control. Cat and I argued about that, and I got mad and left. I was wrong, but I didn't realize it until I was at sea. It isn't easy to turn around in that situation. I decided that I would visit with you and then go back and settle things with Cat and her father, but she showed up here instead. She traveled faster than I did because she took a very direct route, and I took the more scenic route to give me more time to think."

"Well that answers most of my questions especially about why that crate of things showed up here a year ago from Nicaragua with no letter or nothing from you. We wondered about it, but we kinda guessed who was supposed to get what. Pa got the book of maps, Hoss got the carvings of make believe animals, and I got that long thing that looks like a dull sword without a handle."

"It's a boomerang, Joe. If you throw it properly, it comes back to you if you miss what you were aiming at."

"You throw it?"

"Yes, and the carvings are of real animals. The kangaroo, platypus, and echidna are real."

"Oh, c'mon, Adam, there ain't no animal with a duck bill and a body like a beaver. You done told us some tall tales when we was kids, but dadburnit, that was a long time ago. I ain't falling for none of your stories no more."

"Hoss, he's not telling a story. It's true."

"Aw, now, you're joshing me too."

"No, truly, that is a real animal. It is rather hard to find because it is very shy, but I did see a few when people would catch them and bring them in to show us. They are very real. They're as real as those kangaroos who carry their joeys in their pouches until they're big enough that their legs hang out."

"You two are really good at this. Next time we put on a carnival at the church picnic, we're gonna put you two in charge of the story telling, that's for shur."

Ben supported Adam. "No, Hoss, I think they're telling the truth. I've heard about animals like that. I think that at one point I saw a book with pictures of them too."

Snapping his fingers, Adam smiled because he remembered what he had in his luggage. "In my luggage, Hoss, I have books. When my luggage gets here, I'll show you pictures of those animals. They're real."

"Well, ain't that something. Maybe I'd like to go to this Australia someday just to see them animals that look like that."

"Hey, Adam, can you throw that boomer thing and hit one of them duck things?"

"The platypus lives in or near water and is rather small, so it would be difficult. I've not thrown a boomerang except a few times, but when I'm in better shape, we can take it into a pasture and try to make it work."

Aware that Adam was getting tired and hoping to let him say anything more that he wanted to say, Ben tried to get the conversation back on track. "Adam, was there more you wanted to explain before we started talking about animals and boomerangs?"

"Yes, I wanted to tell two some good news. Cat and I have an important announcement to make. You are going to be uncles in about four months."

"Well, I'll be." Hoss was going to say something about what Candy had said at breakfast but he saw his father's warning look and simply congratulated Adam and Cat. Joe wanted to know what they were going to name the baby.

"If it's a girl, Sarah Elizabeth. We haven't decided on a boy's name yet. We'll talk about that and let you know when we decide. It's all rather new for me too."

"Yeah, lots of things are changing around here." There was an edge to Joe's voice and Hoss and Ben suspected they knew why. "Candy wants to move out now because you're in the house. He was comfortable here before." The clear implication was that Adam made Candy uncomfortable.

"Joe, Candy and I get along fine. We didn't have any big conflict if you think that's why he wants to go back to the bunkhouse. Maybe he wants his own room for another reason." Adam suspected he knew that reason but wasn't going to say anything to violate what Candy might wish to keep in confidence.

However Hoss was thinking the same thing and felt no such reticence. "Candy might be looking to the future, Joe. Ifn he finds a gal to marry up with, it would be a sight easier to take her to a foreman's quarters than to try to figure out where to live after being in the house here all this time. He wants a place that's his."

Based on what Hoss had said, Adam had another suggestion. "If that's the case, perhaps we should be thinking about building a small house or at least a small apartment instead of a single room attached to the bunkhouse or at perhaps we should ask him what he would like most."

The discussion completely disarmed Joe's argument. He had to concede that Candy could have other reasons for moving from the house although Joe was going to miss his company and wanted to blame someone for that loss. Ben and Hoss both picked up on that part of the conversation and knew they would have to talk to Joe about it. Meanwhile Adam was looking noticeably tired. Ben called a halt to the talking at that point and told Adam that he ought to rest before lunch. It was a mark of how tired he was that he did not argue at all about being told in effect to take a nap. He leaned back into the chair and closed his eyes as Cat held his hand and smiled at Ben. By lunchtime, he was sleeping so soundly in the chair that they let him sleep and kept the chatter to a minimum. It was probably two hours later that he awoke and that was because Doctor Martin was there to check on him. Surprised to see him sitting downstairs, Paul was pleased at Adam's progress and after checking the wound, saw no reason to return.

"Hop Sing can take the stitches out in a week. Other than keeping the area clean and dry, there's nothing more to be done. It is healing well with no sign of infection. Obviously the fever is gone. Now you need to build up your strength again, but I'm sure there are a number of people here who will help you with that. If I know your father well enough by now, he'll be watching over you to make sure you follow all the rules for a proper convalescence. Hop Sing will provide the proper sustenance. You have a wife now too so it seems you are in very good hands."

After being introduced to Catherine and hearing Cat and Adam's news, Paul went upstairs with Cat to do a quick exam. When they came back downstairs, he was pleased to tell Adam that everything seemed fine with Cat and that the pregnancy seemed to be progressing quite normally.

"We talked about some things I would like her to avoid, but other than those things, she can continue with all normal activities. She's a very healthy young woman and she should do very well carrying this child."

That evening, Adam and Cat retired very early. Adam was concerned about what the doctor had told Cat and worried that their lovemaking would be curtailed. She reassured him that the doctor had not said anything about having to do that for several months. Paul had only been worried that she might be considering travel and wanted to discourage that because of what he had seen.

"He told me he wants me to stay at home and avoid any unnecessary exertion as much as possible. He's worried that the baby may want to come early if I don't. He said if I let the Cartwrights take good care of me, everything should be completely normal."

"Being in bed with me isn't an exertion?"

"Not the kind he's worried about. No, he mentioned lifting and carrying things, and especially travel, bouncing around in a stage or being on a train or boat. I don't plan to do that. I plan to stay right here. The only bouncing I do plan to do is in that bed with you and then snuggling in to sleep by your side every night."

"Now that sounds like a plan, and I do like a good plan although snuggling together and sleeping sounds like the best idea right now."

"You're very tired, aren't you?" The lack of a response was all the answer Cat needed. She pulled back the covers before helping Adam remove his shirt and pants. He nearly fell into the bed. She pulled the covers over him but not before kissing him. It only took her less than fifteen minutes to undress, pull the pins from her hair, brush it out, and turn to the bed. Adam was sound asleep by then. She smiled, turned down the lamp, and slipped in beside him careful not to disturb him as she snuggled into her favorite position.

Cat spent a little time then thinking about her father and what she should say to him in a letter while she wondered how he had reacted to her last letter. It must have been a shock to him to find that letter the morning after he returned from his overnight business trip. She had taken advantage of the fact that he had been gone from Sydney for two days. She knew that she needed at least that much time to get money, pack, and to secure passage from the harbor before her father returned. Even then it had been close. If he had known she was not in the house that night when he returned, he might have been able to pursue her because her ship had left on the high tide only that evening. Now it had been months for him to stew in his anger making her worry about what he might be doing although she doubted that he could do anything that could reach as far as Nevada. She supposed that should be something that she and Adam should discuss and possibly discuss with his father too.

Chapter 10

Over the next week and a half, Adam recovered well and drew up a plan for a room to be added to the bunkhouse. With some discussion with Candy, he determined that a room that could be expanded if there ever was a need was the best solution. He designed the room so that it could be partitioned into a sitting area and a sleeping area with a simple curtain divider as well so that a guest could be entertained there too. The understanding was that it would be a female guest who would need such a partition to keep up proper appearances. Cat was interested in making curtains and bedding for the room, but Candy insisted that he would pick out the fabrics.

"There's a dance in town tomorrow night. Adam wants to stay in town after the dance and do some shopping on Saturday. If you stay in town too, you could show me the fabrics you wanted and I could get the amounts I needed."

"I'm not sure I want to spend the money on a room."

Adam interjected than that Hoss and Joe were staying too so he could stay in a room with them settling that matter. Joe was still a tiny bit irked that Candy wasn't staying in the house any longer so anything that brought the two of them together helped that situation. Adam and Candy had also had a conversation about Candy taking his meals with the family. That had happened the second day that Adam had been able to come downstairs and Candy had knocked because he was looking for Hoss. Adam was alone at the time and it took him some time to get to the door.

"I don't think it's necessary for you to knock and wait for the door to be answered."

"I don't live in the house any more. It seems I ought to knock."

Adam frowned a moment. "All right. How about a knock to announce yourself and then you let yourself in. We'll know it's you if the door opens right away. Save us all a lot of trouble."

"That sounds reasonable."

"It would be a lot better if you took your meals with us too. Hoss and Joe were looking for you this morning. It would be quite a bit more efficient to discuss ranch business if you were there for meals when a lot of that gets done."

"A lot of family business gets discussed then too."

"Don't get pissy with me about this. I'm getting enough of that from Joe. It would all be a lot better if you would agree to take your meals with us. You already know all about our family business anyway. I don't know that there are any secrets or scandals that we're hiding away."

"Well, I've had more gracious invitations, but at least you make sense. What's got you in such a sour mood this morning?"

"Cat brought up her father this morning. We talked about him. Talking about him makes me sour faster than just about anything. At least he's a few thousand miles away now."

"That bad?"

"He loves his daughter, but he can be a damn ass about it. She's broken free of him, but now she feels terribly guilty about leaving him all alone. I suppose at some point we're going to have to go back to see him. He'll probably try to have me arrested. I need to get a lawyer to see if there's some way for me to get my money out of his company. Otherwise, I'm afraid that my resources are going to be rather limited."

"What could he have you arrested for?"

"He'd try to find something. He's got to be furious. But at least I can tell Joe you'll be eating your meals with us. That will go a long way to calming down one fury."

That had calmed the situation down immensely and all three brothers were going to be at the harvest dance on Friday night. Hoss and Joe were hoping to find a few of the newly arrived Irish girls who might be interested in some cowboys. Candy was going to be with them, and now they would spend Saturday in town as well. Ben declined to attend the dance but said he would be in town in Saturday so that they could all have lunch together and give Hop Sing a day off.

At the dance, all the men zeroed in their attention on a beautiful young Irish woman. Joe did his best but couldn't get even an acknowledgement of his charming introduction and then tried several times to elicit a response from her and got nothing. She continued to work at the refreshment table and handed him a cup of punch for his efforts. That was what all the men got who did their best to try to charm her and get her to dance with them. Hoss didn't even try although he would have liked to dance with the prettiest woman there. Candy stood for a time and talked with Adam and Cat when they needed a break after dancing several fast dances in a row. They watched Joe make one more effort to get the beautiful woman to consent to dance with him before he gave up once again and moved on to easier conquests.

"Do you suppose she doesn't like men?"

"Candy, did you consider that perhaps she doesn't like being considered a trophy? When my brother went up to talk with her, he wanted her as a dance partner because she is the prettiest woman here in his opinion that is likely shared by many of the men. Everyone would be jealous of him if he got her to dance with him. He knows nothing about her. He wants her because she's beautiful. She may resent that."

"So what do you think she wants?"

"I think you can work that out for yourself. Why don't you go ask her for a cup of punch and then volunteer to help at the refreshment table for a while? You might be surprised by the results." Adam guided a smiling and apparently an agreeing Cat back to the dance floor then. She motioned with her head for Candy to do what Adam had suggested.

Wondering just what Adam and Cat thought might happen, Candy decided that it couldn't hurt, and he went to the refreshment table and asked the beautiful woman for a cup of punch. She seemed startled by his request as if she had been expecting something else. When he said that she looked very busy and offered to help her, her mouth dropped open momentarily before she agreed that she could use the help. They worked quietly for a time until she began talking about some of the dancers on the floor. Finally she mentioned Adam and Cat.

"Now that Adam Cartwright cuts a swell. Seems some of the ladies here don't think he found himself a woman that meets their standards. They seem to think he could have done much better."

"No, I don't think he could."

"Is that a slander on the man or an endorsement of his wife?"

"If he was standing right here, I'd say it was him, but seeing as how he can't hear me at all, it's all about her."

"You seem to know them well."

"I do. I work for the Cartwrights."

"Why do you think she's the right one for him?"

"She would be the right woman for many a man. I would be happy to find a woman like her. She may not be the prettiest woman here, and she is rather short for a man as tall as Adam, but she is funny and smart and she's got the heart of a lion. She's attractive enough, and when you're talking with her, her eyes light up and that smile lets you know she's got a mind in there. She's got spirit."

"You like her then. You like a woman for more than her looks."

"Of course. Looks fade. Worse than that, if a man marries a woman for looks only, what happens the next morning when he wants a conversation or some advice? Maybe he needs someone to lean on sometime. If all he has in a wife is a pretty face, he doesn't have much."

"Or perhaps they might play a game of chess in the evening or discuss the latest book that the two have read."

"Exactly. Life is so much more than shallow things. There are much more important things that make life richer and fuller. I do enjoy a good game of chess although some complain that I play too slowly."

"So, a cowboy who likes chess and a good book?"

"Chess, yes, but if you mean a good book like that Shakespeare stuff Adam likes, then, maybe not, but if you mean that book he let me borrow about that ship that goes under the water, then yes."

"The book by Jules Verne, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Oh, I have wanted to read that. I heard about it. I had no idea that anyone here would have a copy."

"Adam gets all the latest books shipped to him, and he had that one when he got here from Australia."

"Yes, I heard some of his story. It seems that he is the main topic of conversation among some of the ladies here tonight."

"It's too bad the ladies can't find something better to do with their time."

"I'm Mary Frances Cullen. My friends call me Fanny."

"I'm Candy Canaday. My friends call me Candy."

Fanny laughed and Candy found her laugh as beautiful as her and as genuine too. "A tall, tough cowboy named Candy. Now that name for a man like you is something I would never have expected, yet it somehow suits you. Candy, my dance card is empty. Until now, I had not met a man here with whom I thought I wanted to dance. You changed my mind. I hope that you would consent to dance at least a few dances with me."

So that's how Candy became the most envied bachelor at the harvest dance as all the single men wondered how he had broken through the icy exterior of the most beautiful woman at the dance. The other women at the dance were irritated that the other men kept stealing glances at Candy and Fanny. Adam and Cat smiled as they noticed Joe frowning as he wondered how Candy had managed to accomplish something that he had failed to do. They supposed there was going to be a spirited discussion about that at some point. Late in the evening, every pair of eyes in the room seemed to follow Candy and Fanny as they left to walk in the cool night air. Those included her brother of course who wanted to make sure nothing was going to happen to his sister. Fanny stopped next to him on the way out to reassure him that Candy was going to walk her home and nothing more. He left about ten minutes after the couple left to offer a proper interval for them without intruding but chaperoning nevertheless.

Before Candy and Fanny left, Adam and Cat had left for the hotel because Adam was tired. Other couples began to leave and soon there weren't many left. Hoss told Joe that they ought to leave too.

"Joe, dontcha think now would be a good time to head to the hotel? We could leave a dance without getting into a fight or any kind of shenanigans. Pa is gonna find it hard to believe but it would put a smile on his face."

"Well, at least somebody is going to be smiling then."

"Well, I'm smiling. I had a good time. It looked like Adam and Cat had a good time. Candy sure had a good time. Didn't you have a good time?" Except Hoss knew exactly what was bothering Joe and couldn't help giving him a little dig about it.

"You know, Hoss, I've been thinking about it. It's this gray hair. She must have thought I was a lot older than I am. I wonder if I should color my hair so I don't look so old. I mean, my hair has more gray than Adam, and he's twelve years older than me. That doesn't seem right. By that, I would be the oldest brother not the youngest one. Candy's hair is still almost all black. She must have thought he was the youngest one."

"Sure, Joe, that must have been it. She wanted a young buck."

"I think I'm going to go over to the barbershop tomorrow and get a haircut and see about getting some color in my hair. With some color, I'll look ten years younger at least. Then she won't think I'm so old."

Hoss decided to get serious before another of Joe's schemes blew up in his face. "Joe, I'm thinking maybe it wasn't looks that made her so interested in Candy. They talked for quite a while before they got out on the dance floor together. Maybe she liked what she found out about him. I don't think it's a good idea for you to start trying to win the gal that Candy seems real sweet on already."

"Why not? He saw me try to get her to dance with me, and he went after her himself. Seems to me that she could be anyone's lady after that."

"Joe, Candy's only been back a couple of weeks. Don't you go doing nothing that would make him up and leave again. I'd be powerful mad ifn you did that."

"All right, all right, I won't, but you have to know if it doesn't work out for him, I'll be the first one in line at her house paying my respects and seeing if she needs an escort to church, to dinner, to anywhere she wants to go."

Of course, at that moment, where Fanny wanted to go was anywhere that Candy wanted to lead her. She was thoroughly charmed by him, but she knew too that she should take it slow and let some time elapse before she drew any final conclusions. Her first impressions though had been excellent. He had talked with her as an equal. He had been respectful of her when they danced but did get more affectionate as the evening progressed and she allowed it. He had kissed her when they reached her home, but again, he had kissed her the way a man ought to kiss a woman on the first night they were together. It had been a kiss that was gently passionate promising more but not pressing for too much. He had asked then if she would like to walk with him the next day to see more of the city in his company because she was new in town and he had recently returned. He said they could see the city together and have lunch. It was such a pleasant thought that she had said yes before realizing that she ought to have at least consulted with her parents before saying yes. As Candy bid her goodnight and her brother walked up to her, she told him what she had done.

"I wouldn't worry about it none. I was watching from a distance to make sure he was a gentleman. He was. I can tell the folks that. If he was a gentleman when he thought he had you alone in the dark, then he will be a gentleman always."

"Patrick, you're a good brother."

"I think you found yourself a good man, there, Fanny. I'm happy for you."

"We only danced together."

"I know, but I got a feeling about this one. He's the kind that's strong and loyal. If he has feelings for you and it looks like he does, they're only going to get stronger, so you better decide soon if you think he's the right one for you."

"Patrick, do you think you can know the first night you meet someone that they're the right one?"

"I suppose if they are, you could."

"Then, if he's agreeable, I think he is."

Back at the hotel, Joe's mood had taken a complete turn as Candy explained his evening and had a question for them. "Do you think you can know the first night you meet someone that they're the right one?"

Joe jumped over the bed to slap Candy on the shoulder. "Really? You're in love with her already? Usually it's me that does something like that."

"I know. It feels strange like I might be making a huge mistake, but it feels right too."

Hoss laid back on the other big bed. "Candy, if it feels right, it probably is. You heard how Adam and Cat got together. She was interested in him the first time she saw him, and it shur seems he was interested in her too. He went all them years without really falling enough for a gal to marry and then up and marries her quick as can be. So, yeah, I think it can happen just like that ifn it's the right one. Wish it would happen for me."

Chapter 11

That conversation continued the next morning at breakfast as Joe was still trying to understand why Fanny had not even consented to talk with him but had talked with Candy, danced with him, and then walked home with him.

"Why every woman likes to be told she's pretty. Isn't that true, Cat? You like it when I tell you how pretty you are, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, Joe, but it wasn't the first thing you said to me. If it's the first thing a man says to me, then I wouldn't like it. I would wonder what he wants from me because he's trying to charm me, and I would be worried about what a stranger would want to charm from me."

"Weren't you worried then about traveling all the way here alone with all those strangers then?"

"No, for most of the journey, I was on one of my father's ships. I was among strangers but they work for my father. I didn't think they would dare let anything happen to me. It was when I arrived in San Francisco that I got worried. The captain of the ship personally escorted me to a hotel and helped me make travel arrangements to Virginia City. He looked very worried about leaving me unescorted. That's when I got worried about strangers."

Adam reached for her hand and squeezed it. Cat had made a huge sacrifice to come to him. She had defied her father and risked her safety for him. There was no greater proof that she loved him. Every day, he did his best to let her know that he loved her as much and would never leave her side ever again.

"Now, getting back to Fanny. Candy, you two talked. What did you talk about? You haven't said anything about that." Cat was curious. She hadn't met any women in Virginia City yet who seemed that they wanted to be friends. Most seemed rather put off by her marriage to Adam and others were much older than her. She thought that Fanny was closer to her age and might have similar interests.

"Ah, she wants to read that Jules Verne book I borrowed from you, Adam. When I finish it, may I lend it to her?" Adam nodded. "Thank you. I'm almost done with it already. It's the kind of book that makes me wish I could read faster, but when I'm done with it, I'll wish I didn't read it so fast." Adam and Cat laughed at that knowingly but Hoss and Joe frowned. "She likes to play chess too. There are a few things we have in common that might make for some interesting time together."

"So, you'll be seeing her again?"

"Yes, if you don't mind, I asked to take her to lunch today, so I won't be able to have lunch with everyone else."

"Oh, Candy, why don't you bring her to lunch. I would love to meet her. I haven't met any women in Virginia City who sound nearly as interesting as her, and then she could come visit with me out on the Ponderosa. That would be very convenient for you too, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know. It would be a lot meeting all of you at once when she hardly knows me yet. I could ask her." Wanting to change the subject, Candy's curiosity had been raised on another topic. "Cat, how did you and Adam meet? He's told me about your father. Knowing Adam, it seems that your father would not have let him within a mile of you."

Adam gave Candy one of those frowns that he had perfected when working with school children and Joe. "Thanks so much. And I was thinking that somehow we might get to be friends too."

"Oh, we will for the sake of your wife. I can't hardly let her have to put up with you all by herself, but if you don't mind, she and I were having a conversation that you rather rudely interrupted."

Hoss and Joe chuckled at hearing someone who could verbally spar with Adam. They usually had great comebacks to his jabs but unfortunately usually thought of them about three hours later when they were doing something else entirely, and he was nowhere around.

"Now, how did he get anywhere near you with your father around?"

"It wasn't a very romantic start to our relationship, and it's probably not a proper topic to discuss at breakfast unless everyone has eaten their fill." Hoss was the only one eating at that point and put down his fork so that Cat would tell her story. "We were on a ship traveling from Panama to Australia. We had taken on provisions in Panama and the weather was beautiful, but we saw terrible dark clouds on the horizon only a few days out. The skies all around us turned black and purple and awful. I was afraid that we were going to die even though where we were the sun was shining, and it was very calm."

"You may recall Pa telling us about the eye of the storm. We were in one."

"Yes, we could see how worried the crew was and so was this dark stranger who stood on deck with the crew offering to help. He worked with them like any common laborer. Father forbid me to even talk with him although he joined the passengers at dinner and talked with the others in a very refined way and dressed very well. I was intrigued. When the early waves of the storm hit, I got very ill as did father and some of the passengers. We went up to the rail to, ah, return our dinner to the sea. Adam was there, and he wasn't sick at all. I asked him how he could look so damn healthy when we were all so ill."

"I told her that I had inherited my grandfather's and father's sea legs and that I had eaten only lightly at dinner expecting the rough seas."

"So I got angry and asked why he didn't advised us of that. He said that he had mentioned it at first and my father had ridiculed him. He had kept any further advice to himself. My father was unable to help me because he was so ill too, and I was terrified of being washed overboard. Adam tied a rope to the rail and held me in his arms while I was sick. Then he made sure I got down below safely and got some cool water and wiped my face and arms until I felt better. He took care of me until we made it through the storm hardly ever leaving my side."

"So he was in your berth?"

"Yes, day and night. He held me when I cried and soothed my fears. He told me stories about the Ponderosa, his family, and his travels to entertain me and keep my mind off the storm. By the time we made it through the storm, I knew him much better, and father could hardly deny me his company. When he found out that Adam was educated and had money, then he was less surly about it."

"I think it appealed to him that I was not a British citizen and had no family and no friends in Australia. He likes to control people. He thought he could control me."

"Now, older brother, he done stepped in a big one there. You're about as easy to control as a bull let loose in a saloon in town."

"Oh, don't remind me about that. I thought Pa was going to blow a gasket over that one. I may still have bruises from that bull."

Candy and Cat were intrigued by that so the three brothers had to tell the story of how Joe thought that he could be a matador and they had gotten a bull but Hoss had let it get off the wagon in town.

"Now, Joe, I didn't exactly 'let' it get off that wagon. It kinda was big enough to make that decision all by its lonesome."

By the time they finished telling the story, Cat had tears rolling down her face and Candy couldn't stop laughing. Hoss and Joe told the action parts of the story and Adam added in the descriptions and some theatrical faces for laughs mimicking not only his reactions that day but also Joe and his father. The five of them exited the dining room ready to do some shopping when Cat decided to go to her room for a wrap because the day was cloudy and windier than she had expected. When she returned, she stopped at the bottom of the stairs confronted by a tall, distinguished man obviously in a very bad temper.

"Catherine Marie Wickenburg, I am very disappointed in you scuttling off like a common thief in the night. It's what that miscreant has done to you. I've come to take you home."

"Father!"

"Uh-oh, Joe, you better go get Roy."'

"I don't think we need to. He's walking in the door right now with Pa."

Hoss and Joe walked behind Adam then as he walked up behind Mr. Pleasant Wickenburg and put a hand on his shoulder to turn him around a bit forcefully.

"Unhand me, you ruffian, ah, it's you. Well, it's as I suspected." Except it wasn't what Pleasant had expected at all. He knew Adam was taller than he was but the man seemed to tower over him here in those black clothes with that holster on his hip with that very dangerous looking weapon in it. The look on Adam's face said more than anything that he was in the mood to use it too. Next to him was an even larger man who looked as if he could break a man in half with his bare hands and on the other side was a much smaller man but quite as angry and also wearing one of those lethal weapons. In such a situation, Pleasant knew only one method to use. "You have obviously engaged some common lowlifes to do your bidding, but I must tell you I have already contacted the constabulary here about filing charges against you. He was most solicitous and although obviously a unsophisticated officer of the law was nevertheless willing to meet me here this morning to discuss the legal steps to take. He is directly behind you so mind your manners."

Without turning his attention away from Pleasant, Adam addressed the Sheriff. "Good morning, Roy. I presume my father has explained anything that needed explaining?"

"Well, now, yes he has, Adam, although, I have to say I knew most of what I needed to know even before I saw Ben this morning on my way here. I thought I would see you before you encountered your father-in-law. I'm sorry you had to be shocked by meeting him this a way."

"Now, see here, I had charges I wanted filed against this man. I presumed that you were here to arrest him."

"Now, you said he kidnapped your daughter 'cept even you said he left Australia afore she did, and I know for a fact that he got here before she did. Now that's a plumb loco idea to say he could have kidnapped her like that, and I don't know how anyone could say that a man could kidnap his wife anyways. You said he took one of your ships but said it was on its way back to Australia now so I don't see as how he took it. Now Ben tells me that Adam is one of the major investors in your company so I can't see as how he wasn't simply using some of his own property when he took a trip on one of those ships. He rode on it. He didn't keep it or sell it any more than your daughter did. As far as kidnapping goes, you better watch yourself here. Adam is married to Catherine Cartwright there and anybody tries to interfere with that is breaking the law and could end up in my jail."

When Pleasant Wickenburg had confronted Cat and then Adam, Fanny had come into the hotel lobby to meet Candy as they had agreed the night before. After greeting her, Candy had walked with her to a settee and they took a seat and listened to the action play out before them. He wanted to be available to help if necessary but once Roy and Ben arrived, he relaxed and smiled as did Fanny as they began to enjoy the drama. With things calming down, Hoss and Joe took seats too to watch and enjoy what was quickly becoming very entertaining. Occasionally someone in the gathering crowd would step too close in front of them but Hoss would move them aside so that they had an unobstructed view of the whole proceeding. Hoss said it was better than any play he ever saw at Piper's Opera House.

Pleasant was getting red in the face as the conversation was not proceeding as he wanted. He was not used to things being denied what he wanted. Spittle flew from his mouth as he spoke. "Before he married her, he agreed he would never take her out of Australia without my permission. I most certainly never gave him my permission to take her to this wilderness."

Adam's voice was dangerously low and menacing. "There isn't a court here or in Australia that would honor a promise like that over the bonds of matrimony. And once again, are you deaf. I didn't take her out of Australia. She left. She got sick of your rules and your domineering ways. She's in love with me and I love her with all my heart. We're together now and we're going to be together forever. There is nothing you can do about that."

"You will never get a cent from me. She will never get another cent from me. You will be destitute. What will you do then?"

Pleasant was nonplussed not only by Adam's smirk and Cat's small smile, but by a well dressed gentleman of equal stature and a booming voice who stepped up within two feet of him and challenged him as well.

"I think I may have something to say about that."

"And who are you?"

"I'm Ben Cartwright. Adam is my son. I own a ranch, and I can assure you that my son and his wife will never be destitute. If you choose to steal my son's money and deny your daughter and future grandchildren their rightful inheritance, then know that I will make sure that they have the resources of our ranch at their disposal should they need them."

"Your ranch. What is a station in the wilderness going to do to try to support my daughter in a lifestyle to which she is accustomed? Some little ranch out here is hardly the lifestyle she expected."

Some of Pleasant's earlier comments had brought forth snickers from the crowd that had gathered to witness this altercation, but those last comments had brought outright laughter. Hoss and Joe joined in unable to keep up any pretense of taking this whole thing seriously. Fanny leaned in close to Candy.

"You have very interesting friends."

"They certainly are. Do you want to take the walk we talked about last night?"

"And miss any of this. Not on your life. I want to stay right here."

The entertainment might have gone on for quite a bit longer, but Adam had moved next to Catherine who told him that she was getting tired. The emotional toll this was taking as well as the late night and the pregnancy of course had drained some of her stamina. Adam turned his back on Pleasant and guided Cat up the stairs to their room. He looked back only a moment to the desk clerk to tell him that they would be spending one more night in the room. Then he looked to his father and nodded his thanks. With the show concluded, Candy and Fanny decided on taking their walk and left the hotel lobby with the rest of the crowd as it dispersed. The couple had a lot to discuss. Ben gave one parting comment to Pleasant before joining his younger sons.

"My son is a forgiving man with his family. He can be heartless and as cold as necessary too when dealing with any threat to his family. You need to decide which one you want to be. If you have any interest in spending time with your daughter or seeing your grandchild in the future, you need to make the right decision on that score." Ben had turned on his heel then walking away dismissing Pleasant Wickenburg as if he were any common man which he was but it was the kind of slight that Pleasant wasn't about to forget.

Chapter 12

There so many things that Pleasant Wickenburg wanted to say to Ben Cartwright when the rancher had the insolence to address him that way and then walked away as if he was some kind of frontier aristocrat. He didn't say anything though. He had learned in business to find out about your competitors before engaging them. He wanted to know more too about this ranch in which the man seemed to have such pride and confidence. As he learned more and spent time thinking and brooding in his hotel room, he kept coming back to one idea that the man had planted in his mind, the grandchild. The way he had said it, it had not sounded theoretical, it had sounded like a prediction. From his room, he had watched his daughter and son-in-law leave the hotel that afternoon to enter the shop across the street. He watched them come back, and the next morning, he was up uncharacteristically early waiting for them to leave again. His suspicions were confirmed by what he thought he saw. Catherine was definitely carrying more weight and looked as her mother had looked when she was with child. He was the dark cloud in the otherwise sunny world of the Cartwrights that week.

When Adam and Cat joined Ben and the others at church services on Sunday, the main questions were all about Pleasant. Discussion in the carriage as they drove home was all about him.

"No, I sent him a message and said that if he wanted to be civil, he could visit with Catherine and me at dinner last evening. He wasn't there. It either meant he didn't want to be civil or he's still angry about everything else and doesn't want to see me. Catherine left a message for him this morning telling him that if he wanted to see us, he could send a message to the Ponderosa. Other than that, we have had no communication with him."

"Father came a long way, but as you noticed he has quite a temper. Once he calms down, I'm sure he will want to talk with me at least."

"He's not talking with you when I'm not around."

"Adam, we've had this conversation and shouldn't be arguing in front of your family."

"I don't know why not when you want to do something so foolish."

"This is between you and me."

Hoping to forestall another argument between Adam and Cat, Ben sought to change the subject. "Your father must have started out not long after you left to be here so soon."

"Yes, my guess is not more than a couple of weeks after we left. He had a faster clipper ship to use because it wasn't in port when we left. I'm sure that's the one he used. He has three so if we had two commandeered, that meant he used the third."

That made Adam wonder about something he had not considered to that point because of his concern for Cat. "Now that brings up an interesting point. He would never let that ship sit in port waiting for him. He must have sent it on to do some trading so that makes me wonder how long he plans to be here or how he plans to return home. Tomorrow, I'm going back to town to send some wires to San Francisco. I want some information about Pleasant that he isn't likely to share voluntarily."

"Adam, please, he's my father, and he's the grandfather of the child I'm carrying. I want him to be part of our lives. Don't make things worse than they are."

"I promise I won't do anything to make things worse, but I want to be prepared for anything he might do. He's as angry right now as I have ever seen him and feeling frustrated that he can't do what he wants and have people jump to obey his commands. I'm worried about what how that might make him react. You know as well as I do that he can act rather, shall we say, extremely in such situations."

"He won't harm me or you."

"Not in the normal ways, but harm could still happen. We need to be ready for him to be unpredictable."

"Adam, my father is an honest and honorable man."

"Who feels that I have acted dishonorably. You know that he won't feel the need to act honorably toward me and my family."

The argument was quieter but as intense as earlier. Ben once more tried to deflect the anger. "Perhaps we should wait until we see how he reacts to the message you sent. Given some time to think about it and consider where he is, maybe he will be willing to be reasonable."

Adam scoffed but with a warning look from his father he desisted from any more reaction. That calmed the waters with Cat so that the rest of the day passed more amiably. Early the next morning, Cat had a message from her father asking if she would have lunch with him that day. Adam agreed to take her to town. It would give him the opportunity to send the telegrams he wanted to send and to consult with Roy about Pleasant as well. Adam escorted Cat to the restaurant where she was to meet with her father.

"What's he doing here? I specifically asked to have lunch with you."

"Father, Adam is my husband. He has every right to be here. Now, don't get too upset. He only escorted me to town and to the restaurant. He has other business to do so you and I can have lunch together and talk."

"I've been quite on edge. My daughter leaving without saying goodbye. My ships gone to who knows where. I had to leave my business in the hands of my subordinates. It is all a very upsetting matter."

"I am very sorry about everything, father. Adam, I'll see you later. Say, about two?"

Somewhat reluctantly Adam agreed and left his wife with her father. He knew that Pleasant would not harm his daughter, but at the same time worried about what he might do.

"Father, I am sorry about how I left, but I was worried that you would not let me leave, and I had to go to Adam."

"Is it because of the child you carry?"

Shocked, Cat had nothing to say for a moment. At a little over five months, she thought her wrap dress and shawl hid it very well. "How did you know?"

"Don't you ever forget that I'm a very smart man. I can put the pieces of a puzzle together. I knew there had to be some reason to chase over an ocean after a man who had abandoned you. Then his equally obnoxious father mentioned a grandchild as if that would make such a profound difference in my way of thinking. I saw how you were dressed, and you did look different. I remembered how your mother looked when she was that way."

"Doesn't it? And Father, I chased Adam 'over an ocean' because I loved him and I had hurt him by my actions. You had done so too. He has pride, and we ignored that and treated him as if that didn't matter."

"We did it all for his own good."

"Did we? I know I did, but your reluctance to pay Adam even a small part of his money makes me wonder. The more time I've had to think about it, the more I've wondered. Was it a chance for you to do what you wanted to do all along and that was to get control of him? Is he correct when he says that the only way for him to be free of you to leave?"

"He could do a whole lot worse than having me as his employer."

"Father, Adam was on his own and doing quite well without you. He didn't need your protection and guidance."

"Of course he did. Look what his partners were doing to him."

"I only have your word for that. Were they actually cheating him?"

"I may be a lot of things but you know better than to question my word."

"I'm sorry for that remark. That was out of line. But surely you can see how Adam would question that. Now, do you want to be on reasonable terms with my husband so that we can visit Australia and you can meet your grandchild?"

"Visit? You mean to live here with him?"

"He hasn't said yet where he plans to live and work, but I know it will not be Australia. He won't go where you will try to control him and try to control me. Wherever he goes, I'll go. Wherever he is, that's my home."

"I know that his father has extensive holdings here, but it is still the wilderness. Don't you want the finer things in life? Don't you want your child, my grandchild and heir, to be able to grow up with the benefits of civilization?"

"We have those benefits here or we can get them. San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver, and other cities are only a train ride away."

"What can I do to convince you to come home with me? If we left now, you would be home in time for your child to be born where there are all the modern conveniences and care. I want the best for you and for my grandchild. I will be here for four more days. I leave on Friday morning at eight. I expect that you will come to a logical answer by then and meet me at the station to come home." If not, I will have to use other means. The thought occurred as a natural extension of the statement. It almost surprised Pleasant who knew then what he must do. "Either way, I expect you to be on that station platform to at least bid me goodbye if you do not make the correct decision. Living with that barbarian has so changed you that perhaps I do not know you as I once did."

"Father, don't you want to see the ranch where we live? I know that Ben would be willing to have you as a guest. You would change your mind about this place if only you would give it a chance."

"I have no interest in lowering my standards. I have come down enough to be here in this town." The conversation proceeded on much the same terms for the rest of the lunch. Seeing Adam approach later, Pleasant had only one thing left to say. "Remember, be on that station platform at eight Friday morning, and please come alone. I do not wish to have a scene with that man the last time I see my daughter in this place."

Refusing to have a conversation with Adam, Pleasant left the restaurant then before Adam reached the table where he had been sitting with his daughter. Cat had tears in her eyes when Adam got to her side.

"I didn't think this was going to be a good thing for you to do. What did he say?"

"Only more of the same. He's leaving on Friday. He wants me to be there to say goodbye. I'll take the carriage in and say goodbye to him. It may be the last time I ever see him. Oh, Adam, this is so hard. He's forcing me to choose, and I don't want to have to say goodbye to him forever, but he's giving me no alternative."

"I don't understand it. You're all that he has left. Does he know about the baby now?"

"He knew. He figured it out before he even got here today. It didn't seem to make a difference to him."

That made Adam suspicious of what Pleasant might be doing. He knew he had to be manipulating the situation somehow, but he had no theories yet. He was going to have to work on that. Perhaps he would talk it over with his father and with Joe. Joe and his penchant for reading dime novels often came up with a variety of outlandish plots, but in there sometimes was the kernel of an idea that had some merit. It was worth the time to talk about it. Joe did have some ideas when Adam talked with him, and one of then had Adam riding back to town the next day to check on something. Then he made a short trip to Roy's office and one to the telegraph office before riding home and going out to see Candy.

"Got a favor to ask of you but it has some fringe benefits."

"Well, fire away friend. I assume I get to say yes or no when I hear it?"

"Of course you do. I want you to spend the next three days in town. I want you to be available to work for Pleasant Wickenburg and do whatever he tells you to do as long as it doesn't break the law. Look like any out of work cowboy lounging around town and about as ornery as you can, but other than that, just be yourself, although the ornery part won't be that much of an act."

"You do know that when you ask somebody to do a favor for you, it's a good idea not to insult them, don't you?"

"I thought a little teasing was part of my charm."

"Well, I suppose it is, considering how little charm you have, I guess I need to let you have that one. All right, why do you want me to do this favor for you?"

"Pleasant booked passage for two back to Australia before he left San Francisco. He came here to take Cat back with him. He has two train tickets out of here Friday morning. He wants Cat to meet him at the station alone on Friday morning. Joe has suggested he might try to make her come with him then. It makes sense to me. I want someone watching him, and he doesn't know you."

"You'll be there Friday morning, won't you?"

"Only at a distance. Cat is going to insist on that so there won't be a scene with her father. I want someone a lot closer to protect her."

"And the fringe benefit?"

"Fanny is in town. What better way to walk around town unnoticed and to eat in restaurants where he may be than to have a pretty lady on your arm."

"I don't exactly have the funds for that kind of entertainment."

"I asked Pa already. He said to put it on the Ponderosa accounts. If anyone asks, here's a letter stating that you have that right and it's signed by both of us."

"You were pretty sure of yourself."

"It was a good deal. I thought I took your measure and had you pegged as a smart man. If that was in error, tell me now."

"When do you want me to go?"

"Whenever you can get everything together. Don't stay at the International. That's too obvious because he's there. But you can stay at any of the other hotels as long as you're not too flashy about staying there."

On Thursday, Roy made a trip to the Ponderosa to talk with Adam and Cat. Once he was seated and had a cup of coffee, he explained to the family why he was there. "Catherine, now I hate to have to say this to ya, but it seems your father intends to do something not quite right on Friday morning. He was in the Silver Dollar saloon asking Sam there ifn he knew of any two men that he could hire who might take kindly to being paid to do something to help a man right a wrong that the law wasn't a mind to do. Now Sam knew right off what he might be referring to seeing as how the whole town seems to be talking about what they heard on Saturday morning over to the hotel. Well, Sam up and told him that he would have names for him the next day. Well ole Pleasant, he come back the next day and he got those names and he hired those two men and he done tole them that he wants 'em to take his daughter and put her on that there train on Friday morning and keep her on it until it gets to San Francisco. He promised them a right big bonus ifn they get her all the way to the ship in the harbor there."

Sitting with her mouth open, Cat was in shock. Adam had not told her what he had learned hoping that he and Candy would be enough to forestall anything happening at the train station. That Pleasant would go so far as to actually kidnap his daughter was more than Adam had anticipated. He had not realized how desperate the man had become. Adam did wonder about one crucial part of Roy's news though.

"Roy how do you know what he told the two men he hired?"

"Well, now, Adam, we all know how smart Sam is. He come to me after Pleasant talked to him. I give him the names of two desperadoes that I thought would be just right for this job."

"Who?"

"The names he done gave that Pleasant fellow was Clem Foster and Candy Canaday. Friday morning, they're gonna be right there on that station to be darn sure no kidnapping happens in my town. Now what conversation you have with Mister Pleasant Wickenburg is up to you and your lovely wife. I done my part. Good day to you."

Chapter 13

Early on Friday morning, Pleasant Wickenburg couldn't sleep. He was up before dawn wondering if he was doing the right thing. He knew his daughter well and knew she would fight him in this plan. He feared she might be hurt. He had been thinking about that all night. As rays of sunlight let him know that it was time to pack, he knew what he had to do. He packed his things including the money he intended to pay the two ruffians he had hired. Certain that he could not keep any breakfast down, he skipped that and walked to the station with his bags where he waited for the two men to appear. When they did, he thanked them for their service and paid them in full but told them their services were no longer needed. Both looked surprised, smiled, and walked off with the money. Pleasant sat down heavily then wondering how he had gotten so soft-hearted and depressed that this would likely be the last time that he would see his only child.

"Father?"

"Catherine." Seeing Adam with her, Pleasant sighed. It was what he knew was her future but had hoped not to be confronted with it on this morning. "Good morning, my dear. I had hoped to have a farewell that was without turmoil but I see that you brought Adam with you."

"Without turmoil? Is that why you hired two men to kidnap me?"

"What?"

Roy and Ben walked around the corner of the station platform then with Clem and Candy. Adam stood behind Catherine as she confronted her father.

"May I present to you Deputy Sheriff Clem Foster and the foreman of the Ponderosa Ranch and a good friend, Candy Canaday. If you had gone through with your plan, you would most likely be headed to the Virginia City jail at this moment. It was only your last minute bout of conscience that saved you that indignity. Are you ready to be reasonable now? Or do you want to be the miscreant and lowlife you are so fond of accusing others of being. You act so high and mighty but you showed your true character this week, didn't you? Mother would be so ashamed of you. How can you even think to stand there and not beg for forgiveness?"

Ben noticed that Adam had one of the biggest smirks he could muster. It obviously amused him immensely to have his diminutive wife taking her father to task. Adam crossed his arms and leaned toward his right side and let her have the floor all to herself ready to help if needed but thoroughly enjoying the display of righteous indignation by his wife. The day before she had been shocked an appalled, but the more time she had to think about it, the angrier she had gotten. There wasn't any time for Pleasant to answer any of the questions posed by Cat because she continued on her rant for probably five minutes until she ran out of things to say. When she did stop, Pleasant said only one thing.

"You're right."

It was such a simple and shocking admission that neither Cat nor Adam could think of anything to say in response. Ben stepped forward with Roy.

"Now you can thank your lucky stars that you done changed your mind about what you was fixing to do. Far as I'm concerned, it's a family matter now. You're out a bit of money now and nothing more. My deputy is putting his payment toward our office supplies and I thank you kindly for supporting law and order in Virginia City. I bid good day to you now." Roy and Clem smiled and left.

Candy asked Ben what he should do with the payment he had received.

"Candy, I believe that you were contracted for that money and were paid in good faith. That money is yours. I don't believe that Mr. Wickenburg ought to get it back especially after what Roy said to him, and Cat and Adam certainly don't want it. I think you've earned another day off. Perhaps you could buy a nice gift for that friend of yours and be sure to invite her to the Ponderosa for dinner tomorrow evening. We plan to have a party of sorts. Her parents and brother are welcome to attend as well. It would be a good time for them to see the place where you work and live."

"Thank you, Mr. Cartwright. I think they'll like that."

As Candy left, Ben stepped close to Adam and quietly mentioned to him that there was room for another guest at the party. Then he said he would be waiting at the carriage. Adam leaned down to whisper to Cat. She turned to him in anger.

"How could you even suggest such a thing?"

"Cat, try to remember all those things you've been telling me about this situation before you found out what a stupid stunt he was thinking of trying."

"Maybe I was wrong when I said those things to you."

"Cat!"

"Oh, all right. Father, if you can apologize to me and to Adam, and if you can take a day or two longer here, there's going to be a party at the Ponderosa tomorrow evening. You would be welcome to attend. You could see where I'm living and where your grandchild will be living."

Adam added in a caveat. "I would expect that there would be some tangible evidence that you have in fact changed your attitude and that this is not some new scheme to try to maneuver Cat into returning to Australia at some point. You have to know that the likelihood of her ever doing that diminished to near zero with this plot of yours. We would find it extremely difficult to ever trust you enough for her to travel there."

"I do apologize to you both and I understand, and I have to admit, I am embarrassed by what I have done. There isn't a rock big enough for me to crawl under to hide at this point. I will do what I can to show that I was desperate and acted as a desperate man. I am truly sorry."

"You could have worked with me instead of against me."

"Adam, I don't know how. I've always been the one in charge and told others what to do. And I'm sorry to say that I cannot delay my departure although it might be best that I go as well. Perhaps some time passing will help ease the pain that I have caused by my actions. Over the next months, I need to think of some ideas of how I can do better. Perhaps next year, I could return to see my grandchild?"

With that, Cat began to cry and hugged her father who seemed embarrassed by the public display of affection but was unwilling to stop it. Adam stepped forward and shook his hand. "I'll be looking forward to seeing that tangible evidence of your change of heart. I do look forward to it and to your visit. Our child would like to know both grandfathers."

Within fifteen minutes, Pleasant was gone. Cat felt a sense of emptiness and loss but also a sense that she had her father back again even if he wasn't physically present. Adam was more practical. He was going to wait and see what the next few months would bring if anything that might show that Pleasant had actually changed. Cat noticed his look and asked him what he was thinking.

"I would like to believe your father, but after everything that's happened, I'll wait to see some proof that he's changed his attitude before I'll accept that he has. I'm sorry if that bothers you, but I can't feel any differently at this point. I meant exactly what I said to him."

The response that Adam got to that was Cat crying again. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close because he didn't know what else to do. Luckily that was what she needed and wanted. "Adam, tell me that it's that I'm with child that has made me so weepy and weak. I don't think I could stand myself if I'm going to be like this much longer. I don't know how you can stand me either."

"Actually, I was very proud of you when you stood up to your father and told him exactly what you were thinking. He needed to hear that from you. More than anything, that may help him decide what he needs to do over the next few months and over the next year until he comes back here to visit and see his grandchild."

"Do you think he'll come back? He was so embarrassed. He's a proud man and we made a fool out of him."

"No, he made a fool out of himself. No one made him do what he was going to do. When he couldn't convince you or pressure you, he thought to simply make you do what he wanted as if you were his child. All we did was make sure he couldn't do that to you. Now, why don't we head on home? You probably should take it easy today. I know this week has been very difficult for you."

"Let's do our errands, and then we can go home. I want some things to work on sewing up some things for the nursery. It will keep me busy. I have a lot to learn about sewing baby things and it's taking a lot of time."

Not willing to cause his wife any more turmoil, Adam agreed to that and walked her to the carriage telling his father their plans. Ben agreed and they went to the mercantile to pick up a few things that were on their list of supplies to get. There were other items they wanted to get for the small party that Ben wanted to throw the next night to celebrate the return of Adam with his wife and the return of Candy to the Ponderosa now that things had settled down and everyone was healthy and at home. It had been a long time since the Ponderosa had a party with all the sons there, and Ben was looking forward to it very much. It was a small party with the Martins, Roy, and Fanny and her family, but he thought it would be a very pleasant evening that both Adam and Candy would enjoy. Hop Sing had plans for a very special meal with a big cake for dessert. Joe and Hoss had hoped for fireworks, but Ben had said that he wanted a quiet party. He told them to save the fireworks for later in the fall when winter was closer and they needed to have a big celebration before the winter storms arrived. In the store, Ben handed the list to the storeowner as Cat chose cloth and thread for her sewing projects. She didn't recognize the woman who was doing the same until the woman introduced herself.

"You may not realize who I am, but I'm Fanny's mother, Meg. Candy told us that we were invited to a party at your home. Now, it's not necessary to include us in the invitation. We know that the Cartwrights are an upstanding family. We were pleased that our Mary Frances was invited."

"Oh, no, we wanted you to come. There are so few women around, and if you come, there will still be only four of us at the party, so please come. Please, and if I can be completely honest, I'm with child, and I would so like to talk to you about having a baby."

"Oh, my dear, that is something that a daughter ought to talk to her mother about, don't you think?"

"My mother died years ago, and my father has just left under rather unpleasant circumstances as you probably have heard or will hear. I have no family here except the Cartwrights and I don't know any women here."

Meg's heart went out to Cat at that point. "Oh, you poor dear, then of course I'll be there. It must be so frightening for you and no one to tell you about it. And what are you sewing up here with the cloth you're buying?"

"I'm trying to sew things for the nursery, but I'm having a difficult time because I've never sewn anything for a baby before."

"I'll bring some old things I have and we can use those for patterns so you can see how they're made. Oh, this could be quite an interesting time. Would you like us there for the afternoon so we can get more done?"

"Oh, that would be wonderful. I would appreciate that so much."

"Now, if I would not be imposing too much, we have a girl who boards with us. She has no family here either. They took sick on the trip west and the whole family died except her. She's a big girl, but that one is an artist with a needle and thread. If you wouldn't mind, it would be nice if she could come with the family, and she could help out with the sewing. She's a quiet one so she wouldn't be a bother."

"I would like that very much. It wouldn't be an imposition at all. I look forward to it very much. I'll tell Ben and Adam that we have one more guest coming to the party. Thank you so much. Now is there anything else I should be buying for cloth?" With several more selections, Cat headed to the counter, and Adam was surprised to see her smiling. "Adam, I met Fanny's mother, Meg. She's very nice. She and Fanny are coming early tomorrow and we're going to be sewing things for the nursery. Oh, and they're bringing another woman who boards with them. Oh, my, I forgot to ask her name. Well, it doesn't matter. It's only one more guest. That's all right, isn't it? I told her it was all right."

"It's fine. I'm so proud to have you as my wife. You are amazing. You have a resilience that very few people possess. I wish I could kiss you right now."

"Well, why can't you?"

The shopkeeper grinned so broadly that Ben turned around to see why and rolled his eyes at his son kissing his wife in the middle of the mercantile as the other customers stared. His son never did seem to care if there was gossip about him. Of course there wouldn't be much staying power for this gossip. How much could you say about a man who loved his wife enough to kiss her in the mercantile in front of other customers? At least he had the good sense to keep it a reasonably chaste kiss. Ben said nothing about it when Adam was there a moment later to help carry the supplies out to the carriage and then carried out the packages of cloth and thread that Cat had purchased. As they made their way home, Adam told Ben that Cat had invited one more person to the party. Ben said about the same thing that Adam had which relieved Cat's anxiety until she thought about another potential problem.

"You don't think Candy will be upset that I'm monopolizing his lady friend, do you?"

"Let me see. If you become good friends with Fanny, she'll likely be spending more time on the Ponderosa perhaps even staying overnight sometimes. What do you think Candy would think about that?"

Cat giggled. "It's like we're playing matchmaker."

"It's a little late for that, but we are making it easier for him to court her if he decides that's what he wants to do."

Note: for those readers who thought that Pleasant should have been arrested, there are reasons he was not. For conspiracy, that charge requires two things that were not present in this case: an overt act to further the conspiracy and an agreement to actually commit the criminal act. Because Clem and Candy pretended to agree and never had the intent to commit the action and did nothing to further the action expected, there never was a conspiracy. Solicitation could have been charged except that Pleasant voluntarily gave a complete renunciation of his criminal intent and dismissed the two men solicited before he was charged with anything.

Chapter 14

"Would you like to take a walk before you have to leave?"

"I would like that very much."

"There's a new foal in the stable. Adam wants to train it up for Cat. It's a blue roan."

"What does that mean?"

"The undercoat is black or real dark and the top coat is kinda white or gray. When it's in the sun, it looks blue. It's real pretty."

"Yes, I would like to see that."

As the couple exited the house, Ben sat with Fanny's parents, the Martins, Joe, and Roy by the fireplace as they all watched them go. "Meg, Ailis seems a very nice young lady. She's very quiet though."

"Yes, she is, but Ben, she's talked more tonight than she usually talks in a week. She seems very taken with your son Hoss."

"He seems very taken with her too. He doesn't invite just anyone to see a prize critter of his in the stable."

Ben chuckled as the Martins and Roy nodded. Adam and Cat had walked out earlier, and Fanny and Candy had gone out soon after that to take a look at his new rooms. Joe was sitting in shock. Once more he had done his best to charm a young woman who had reacted almost in fear of his advances but had instead warmed to his brother Hoss' soft approach. She was exactly the type of woman he found attractive too with beautiful blond curls and blue eyes. He thought she would look perfect on his arm, but she had refused each of this advances. Now she was walking outside with Hoss as if he was the charming romantic one in the family. He began to consider that perhaps Adam was correct in at least some of the advice he had given. Perhaps as a woman got a bit older, she wasn't as impressed with compliments about how pretty she was and a charming smile and puppy dog looks. He was going to have to work on a new approach. Adam and Cat came in then with Candy and Fanny. It was early evening and they knew that the guests would want to leave soon so that they could be back before it was too dark. Roy and the Martins got up to say their goodbyes, and once they were outside, Joe went to get Hoss and Ailis who came out of the stable looking a bit flushed. Apparently Joe had interrupted them kissing. Adam and Candy had big grins as they suspected what had happened. Joe only scowled which made Adam and Candy grin even more.

When Candy bid Fanny good night, he reminded her of church in the morning and then a picnic after that. She smiled as did her parents. They had thought that Fanny was too choosy when it came to young men calling on her, but now that she had found such a nice man, it seemed her care in choosing had been worthwhile. Adam slapped Candy on the shoulder as the carriages pulled away with Roy riding ahead of them.

"Did she like your new rooms including the scent of new hewn pine?"

Cat came up on the other side of him and slipped an arm around his. "Did she hint that the place needed a woman's touch?"

"You're as bad as he is. Now I have two of you to contend with. No, we're seeing each other now, and that's it. I like her and she likes me. That's enough after one week, isn't it?"

"Oh, I think you know it isn't." Cat smiled and walked into the house then as Adam and the other Cartwrights chuckled.

"Thank you for letting Fanny spend the afternoon with Cat. Being with the ladies and thinking about the baby helped her. It's going to be hard for her, but with friends, it won't be as bad especially when it gets closer to the baby arriving. She's gotten very emotional carrying this child, and with what her father did, she could have had some very bad times."

"I don't understand a man like that. He was willing to hurt her in order to make himself happy. What kind of father does that?"

"He never thought about being a father before. She was always there for him. He was never the one who was there for her. Remember the story she told of being sick on the ship. When he got sick, he forgot about caring for his daughter and thought only of himself. He never asked about Cat until after the storm when he felt better. She could have been washed overboard as far as he knew. I'm sure it would have devastated him, but his first thoughts have always been about himself. Cat was always secondary."

"Your father was never like that."

"Oh, Candy, I'm afraid that there were moments or times when I was. No father is perfect, but each time I regretted my selfishness and remembered that my dream had always been to create something for my sons. I couldn't do that unless I protected them and made sure they were here to enjoy it. Pleasant has built an empire, but he is only now beginning to wonder why he did it. He has time to think about it, and we can hope that he makes the right choices. I know that Adam and Cat will be waiting to see what happens next."

"It will break Cat's heart if he doesn't do the right thing. She's so confident right now that he's come around to her way of thinking, and she's a bit upset with me because I'm still suspicious of him, but I'm afraid of what he might do next. He was embarrassed and upset by what he almost did because it was a violation of the law, but I wouldn't put it past him to try to find a legal means to accomplish what he couldn't do illegally."

"I know son. All we can do is pray that he does the right thing. Besides, what could he do?"

"One thing that he could do would be to act so completely like she wants him to act that she agrees to travel back to Australia. Once there, all the power shifts to him."

"Then we have to convince her that he needs to travel here to see her instead. It shouldn't be that difficult once the baby arrives. A mother becomes very protective of her little one. It's quite possible that she will not be willing to risk your child on an ocean voyage when it would be so much simpler for her father to travel here to see the child and her."

"Yes, that makes a lot of sense. So, even if he tries that ploy, we have a counter to it. Thanks, Pa, that's great thinking."

"That's my daughter and my first grandchild. You can always count on me to help where they're concerned." Turning his attention to Hoss, Ben smiled. "Hoss, you seemed to like Ailis quite a lot and she seemed to like you as much."

Hoss had been hoping to stay out of the center of the conversation because he knew that Joe was waiting for an opening like this. "Oh, Pa, she's a nice lady."

"Really nice, wasn't she, Hoss? Pa, Hoss was letting her know how nice she was when I went out to the stable to let him know everyone was leaving."

"Aw, Joe, I let her pet that little filly in there and she was so happy that she up and just give me a kiss. That's all it was."

"It looked like a whole lot more than that to me."

"Well, ifn it was, it ain't none of your business now is it? She ain't interested in you." Joe looked stricken at that comment. "Aw, Joe, I'm sorry to be to peeved, but I wanted to let you know that I think maybe something serious could happen between us and I didn't want you funning about it."

As Joe shook it off, the four men walked to the house as Candy turned to walk to his new quarters. He and Adam had finished them that morning. It was his first night in his new place. Candy was looking forward to the next day. He had found that he enjoyed Fanny's company a great deal. If tomorrow went as well as he hoped, he wanted to have a serious talk with Adam. As the only married man on the Ponderosa and married to a woman much younger than himself, Adam was probably the best one to give him some advice on how to proceed because he was already thinking of asking Fanny to be his wife.

In the house, Ben and his sons found Cat cleaning up. Adam immediately took the armload of items from her and chastised her for carrying so much. "The doctor said no lifting. We can do those things."

"Adam, I'm not helpless. I can help clean up."

"Yes, you can, but you are not to be doing any lifting. You know what the doctor said."

"What did the doctor say?" Ben asked but Joe and Hoss were as interested as he was.

"He's worried that the baby could come early and told Cat not to do any lifting. He doesn't want her traveling either doing anything strenuous. I didn't say anything because as serious as this was I thought she would listen to the doctor's advice."

"I am not a child to be lectured by you."

"No, you're not. That's why I'm upset with you."

Bursting into tears, Cat turned and rushed up the stairs. Adam sighed and followed. Ben remained silent and cautioned his other sons to do the same. Adam needed to take care of this on his own.

"Wow, being married is certainly complicated. Maybe it is better to date and have fun instead."

Ben was concerned that Joe was reverting to his younger bachelor days and forgetting about his time being married as a way to forget about the pain of his losses. "Joe, you must remember being married is complicated, and Adam and Cat have the additional difficulty of having their married life first with her father and now with his family so they don't get to have these squabbles in private. Remember that these are never to be discussed especially with anyone outside the family. Is that understood by both of you?" Waiting for both to nod in agreement, Ben continued. "On the other hand, I haven't seen Adam this happy in a very long time so marriage has been very good for him. I'm afraid though that he and Cat are going to want their own home very soon. I'm going to miss having a woman to host parties on the Ponderosa. It was very nice today having a hostess for our party. It made it seem more complete somehow." And Ben was determined at some point to start talking to Joe about his behavior and the hurt that he was trying to mask by seeming to forget that it had ever occurred.

"It shur did, Pa. And I like what you said about Adam being married. He does seem a lot happier this way. I'm thinking that's marriage is a darn good thing."

"I like hearing you say that, Hoss. I would be very happy if you found someone to marry."

All that Ben got from Hoss on that was a smile, but he knew what it meant. Hoss was very interested in Ailis. Joe noticed too but was wise enough not to say anything about it this time. Upstairs, Adam was soothing Cat who had cried but had stopped.

"Adam, I don't know why I cry at everything. It's embarrassing."

"I'm sure it's because you're with child. We can ask Paul about it, but I'm sure that's what he's going to say. It probably is also because of the pressure of what happened with your father and now he's gone again. You're also in a new land among a lot of people you had never seen before. I am glad that Meg and Fanny came over and brought Ailis. I think that the four of you might become good friends. It seemed you made a very good start on that today. Mrs. Martin seemed to fit right in too and some women in town shy away from her because she helps Paul with surgery. Somehow they seem to think they might catch something from her or that she isn't fully a lady because she does that."

"Well, that's terrible. If I had known that, I would have reached out to her sooner. Why didn't you tell me?"

"Cat, there's so much to tell you. I can't tell you everything all at once. We would never get any sleep."

"Well, tell me about Roy and Paul then. And tell me about Clem Foster and his wife. There, that's not too much, is it? Oh, wait, tell me about Abigail and Hank, and about Annie and Swede."

Before she could say any more, Adam put a finger over her lips. "Where did you get all these names?"

"Mrs. Martin was telling us some stories about the Cartwrights. None of us knew much about the history of this area and of the family. She started to fill some of that in for us. That was all right, wasn't it?"

"Yes, that was all right. Now, it's late so you need to decide which ones you want to know about tonight. We have many months of winter coming up and lots of time to talk. We'll get around to all the family history, but tonight, only a little bit."

"Can we snuggle in bed while you tell the stories?"

"I should go back downstairs and help with the cleanup."

"I don't think anyone is expecting you back downstairs after that scene I made."

"You didn't stage that scene, did you?"

"No, but by the time I got up here to our room, I knew how ridiculous I had been, but I was too embarrassed to go back downstairs and then you were here so I didn't have to."

Shaking his head, Adam couldn't help but smile. Then he began unbuttoning his shirt and Cat began smiling too. In his room, Candy reclined on his bed and smiled too. A month earlier, he had headed back to the Ponderosa because he felt he had no roots. He decided to go to the one place where he had felt something close to having a home and where he once had good friends. He had hoped they would accept him back into their ranch life. Not only had they accepted him, he ate his meals with the family, and they had built him new quarters after making him the ranch foreman again. With Adam's advice, he had met a woman that he was considering courting. He was a friend again with Ben, Hoss, and Joe and making a friend in Adam. Suddenly he realized that he was a friend of Adam. Adam had trusted him with his wife's safety. Then he realized that Roy had trusted him to work side-by-side with Clem. All of the men he liked and admired most had welcomed him into their circle and treated him as an equal. He was home and he had a family. He smiled broadly and rolled over to have the best night of sleep that he had had in many years. The next day, he planned on making a decision on whether to expand that family by one.

Chapter 15

Early the next morning, Candy left in the smaller of the two Cartwright carriages. He had gotten permission to use it for the day so that he could take Fanny on a picnic after church. It was likely the last day for a picnic and would be a chilly one at that. Chilly fall winds meant the temperatures were not going to rise much above jacket weather. Adam packed an extra blanket in the larger carriage, which Cat questioned because she was wearing her wrap, but when she started to shiver and the blanket was wrapped around her, she understood. Candy did the same in the smaller carriage and had the same experience with Fanny as they drove to the lake for their picnic. She, like Cat, did not have experience with winter weather in the Sierras and didn't have clothing suitable for the cold temperatures and the winds that the winter would bring. Later when driving to the lake, Candy wrapped the blanket around Fanny's shoulders much as Adam had wrapped one around Cat earlier on the way to church.

"Maybe you could come out to the Ponderosa, and you and Cat could sew up some warmer clothes for the winter. Cat really seemed to enjoy having you ladies at the ranch on Saturday."

"And you, Candy, did you enjoy having the ladies at the ranch on Saturday?"

"I very much enjoyed having one lady at the ranch on Saturday. I do wish I could have spent more time with her, but Cat needed some attention yesterday. It was very nice of you to help her out like that."

"She's been very nice to me. All of the Cartwrights have been very nice to me and to my family. It's been a pleasant surprise. Not that many people in Virginia City are so welcoming of the Irish even the well-educated Irish. We had property in Ireland but we lost it when the crops went so bad. People couldn't pay their bills and their rents so we lost our land and business too. Yet here some treat us as if we did something wrong, but not you and not the Cartwrights. All of you have been very nice so it is easy to be nice to you

too."

"You're a very nice woman. It doesn't matter if you're Irish or any other group. When I'm thinking on what kind of person someone is, I look at what kind of things that person does and how they act, and I make up my mind based on that. Based on what I've seen, I'm very pleased to know you and be able to spend time with you. I could spend the rest of my life with you and be very happy." Inside, Fanny very much hoped that Candy meant what she hoped he meant and that he saw her as part of his future and not only as a short-term relationship.

Once they reached the lake, Candy carried the basket and another blanket to the lakeshore as Fanny walked down with the blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. Candy rigged the second blanket as a windbreak and with the warm sun, they were warm sitting in its protection and having their picnic until clouds blocked the sun. Then even Candy was a bit chilled because of the inactivity. Fanny suggested that both of them could sit with the blanket around them which brought forth one of his gorgeous grins. Fanny compared it to Adam's grin remarking that both she and Cat were very lucky to have men who had such wonderful grins. Candy was hoping that statement meant what he hoped it meant and that Fanny saw him as more than a short-term relationship.

"It's very nice sitting here with you, but I think we might be more comfortable in the carriage. The seats are softer and we can pull up the side curtains and block the wind just as effectively as this blanket does."

"Yes, that's true. I suppose our afternoon together is over then. The weather simply isn't cooperative."

"Oh, hold on there. I didn't say our afternoon was over. It's simply that's it's much cooler than I expected so I was thinking a change of plans was in order. How about a carriage ride to look at the sights? You're new here so there's a lot to see that you haven't seen before. I can guarantee that you won't regret the time it takes. You can stay warmer and more comfortable, and I still get to spend more time with you."

"Oh, Candy, you don't have to try so hard to convince me. I was willing as soon as you said we could take a carriage ride."

That elicited another of those grins from Candy which only got bigger when Fanny shared the next bit of news.

"At church this morning, Cat asked if I would like to come out to the Ponderosa next Saturday with Ailis and spend the day and then stay overnight. She said we can ride back in with the family and meet my family at church services although of course my family will want to be at the Catholic church."

"That sounds like a great idea. Did she say why? Is it to sew again?"

"Yes, she was so taken with Ailis' sewing abilities that she wants to hire her to sew some things. She will work with her on Saturday to measure and pick out colors and fabrics and then Ailis will get the work and take it home with her. It's the perfect kind of job for Ailis. She likes a quieter setting where there aren't a lot of people around. I think if she had a dog and a husband, she would be content."

"Then she should be looking seriously at Hoss because she sounds like a perfect match for him. I could see the two of them together. He would be a happy man in that setting too, well, especially if there were a couple of children in the picture."

"Oh, I don't know how Ailis feels about children. I've never talked with her about that. I would assume that she would want children. She came from a big family. That's why it must have hurt her so much to lose them all like that. The cholera hit and her whole family died so suddenly. It was as if there had no ability to fight it off at all. The parents died first and then the children died. Ailis did her best to save them but within a few days, they were all gone. She never even got sick or at least not sick like her family and other people were sick."

"Where did it happen?"

"It happened in St. Louis when we stopped over to visit some people we knew who had settled there. We never should have stopped. A cholera epidemic hit the city. We were lucky to get out of there alive."

As Candy showed the beautiful vistas of the Ponderosa to Fanny, she was amazed as he had expected. All went well until they decided that it was late enough and time to head back to Virginia City. Candy turned the carriage a bit too sharply perhaps or maybe it would have happened anyway, but the back right wheel hit a rock in a most unfortunate way and snapped. The sound was as clear to Candy as rain on the roof or the sharp crack of a whip. He pulled up on the reins before there was any more harm done.

"What happened?"

Candy quickly hopped out of the carriage and took a quick look at the wheel. "What happened is that I just got into a lot of hot water with your parents. We're too far from anywhere to expect help to arrive quickly, it will be dark before anyone realizes we aren't coming back tonight, and this carriage needs to be repaired."

"What do we do?"

"We get ready to spend the night here. I'll take care of the horse. You just sit tight in the carriage. I'll be back in a few minutes to take care of propping up that wheel to keep the carriage stable. Then we can work out what else we need to do in the next few hours."

"Can't we ride the horse back?"

"Do you know how to ride?"

"No, I never have, but I thought you could."

"I probably could well enough, but not do that and keep you on the horse with me. It would be too dangerous. We can build up a nice big campfire here, we have food left over from our lunch, and we have water in the canteen. I'm sure that there's more water nearby. We have two blankets and the carriage for shelter. We'll be fine until morning."

"Then why do you look so worried?"

"Because I don't look forward to seeing your father after I have you out here alone in the wilderness all night long."

"Candy, he knows you're an honorable man."

"He also knows I'm a man, and that you're a very attractive woman and that there's only one way we're going to stay warm enough tonight and that's by being together in that carriage until morning."

"I know. I'm rather looking forward to that."

With a roll of his eyes, Candy turned away to take care of the carriage horse. Once that was done, he returned and did his best to prop up the damaged wheel. Then he collected firewood and made a fire-ring near the carriage and away from any brush that might catch fire. He had found a stream not far away where he had watered the horse. He took their canteen there and filled it after offering Fanny a drink. When he returned, he told her it would be best if they could manage on that one canteen until morning.

"It'll be best too because that means we'll have less need, to, ah, take care of business in the bushes, if you know what I mean."

"I do, and I need to do that right now if you don't mind. I'll be right back."

"Don't go too far. I won't look, but I want to be near if you need me."

Once Fanny was back, she and Candy shared what was left of their picnic. It made for a nice light dinner. Then they both collected grass for the horse and walked the horse to water one last time before securing the horse to one of the reins tied between two trees. With a nice supply of grass to eat, the horse was reasonably content. Then as the sun set, Candy started a fire. If anyone was searching for them, it would be a beacon, but he knew there was a problem.

"Candy, why are you frowning so much?"

"If anyone came out looking for us, they're going to be looking for us at the lake or between Virginia City and the lake. I told everyone that we were going to have a picnic on the lakeshore. We haven't been there for hours. No one is going to be looking up this way at least until morning and only then if they look for our tracks. That would be Hoss or Adam. It could be a while until someone finds us. In the morning, we'll have to probably hike up to the top of that ridge. It's not far, but from there we can see for miles and anyone looking will be able to see us especially if we make ourselves obvious."

"How do we make ourselves obvious?"

"If you happen to have something white that we could tie to a stick and wave in the air, that would help."

Fanny blushed a little knowing what he meant when he said something white. "I do. I'll tear off a piece in the morning. How big a piece do you think we'll need?"

"Oh, about a foot square would be enough."

"I'll get that for you in the morning then. If you have a small knife with you, that would help."

"I do. I have a small pocketknife that you can use. Now, let's get into the carriage. We'll pull the sides down and secure them to block the wind, and then we can pull the blankets around us. It will be a little bit uncomfortable but we'll stay warm. I'll have to get out a few times to add wood to the fire but I set it up so that the wood will fall into the fire as it burns so I won't have to do that often."

"Candy, do we have to worry about Indians or outlaws or wild animals?"

"We don't have to worry about Indians at all. We're on a road but far from the usual main roads so I doubt any outlaws would ever think to come this way looking for travelers. As far as animals, it's too early for them to be coming down from the hills. We're up in the carriage, there's a fire burning, and I have a pistol. We're pretty safe."

"Candy, I'm still scared."

"Then snuggle on in to my left side here. I'll protect you." Fanny believed that he would, and Candy felt good being the one being able to say that too. They settled in for an uncomfortable night but they were warm, safe, and comfortable with each other. Candy had expected to talk with Adam and ask his advice about whether he ought to court Fanny. This misadventure was telling him all he needed to know though. She was proving to be reasonably resilient and strong, willing to do what was necessary, and most importantly, she had trust in him. If it wasn't such an unromantic setting, he would have asked her to marry him right there.

On the Ponderosa, there was turmoil. Joe wanted to go out searching for Candy as soon as they got word from town that Candy and Fanny had not returned from their picnic. Her family was very worried and her father had sent a friend to inquire at the Ponderosa if they were there. It was too late by then to track, but Hoss and Joe had ridden to the lake in the dusk and found that there was no one there. When they returned, Joe had argued that they needed to form search parties immediately. Adam and Hoss had argued against it, and Joe had exploded in anger surprising both of them.

"Sure, both of you have what you want. Adam has a wife and a child on the way. Hoss has a gal now too. But I've lost too much and I won't lose a friend too."

Adam tried to be conciliatory and stepped up to Joe. "Joe, you haven't lost anyone. Candy and Fanny probably had a problem with the carriage. Candy knows how to take care of them out there for one night." Joe whirled on Adam and would have sucker punched him except Ben saw it coming, stepped forward, and caught his arm before any damage was done.

"What the hell was that for?"

"What the hell gives you the right to say I haven't lost anyone?"

"I only meant tonight. I wasn't saying any more than that. I only responded to you saying you won't lose a friend too."

Ben cautioned Adam not to say any more and ushered Joe outside. Adam looked to Hoss wondering if he understood what had happened.

"I know he's been acting strange since you got home. He's been drinking too much too. Reckon maybe Pa knows what's wrong. We'll let him handle it. You go on up and take care of Cat. She looked upset earlier when we found out that Fanny and Candy didn't make it back to town from their picnic."

"All right. Are we heading out at first light to search for them?"

"I was hoping you would be helping me track. Two sets of eyes tracking are always better."

It didn't take long the next morning for Hoss and Adam to find the carriage tracks heading away from the lake. They followed it for a number of miles finding each place that it stopped and the tracks of Candy and Fanny at each stop.

"Looks like they were doing a little sightseeing. Reckon it was a might cold at the lake. Warmer in the carriage."

"Yes, so our assumption that they had some trouble with the carriage is probably the most likely problem."

"Let's keep going. We have to be getting close. We keep following the tracks, and we should find them right quick."

"We don't need to follow the tracks."

"What, you gonna try to read Candy's mind now and guess where they went next?"

"No, look."

When Adam pointed up to a ridge in the distance, Hoss smiled as did Ben and the other men who were in the search party. They could see the couple clearly as they waved a white flag to get their attention. Soon the group was at the carriage and Candy and Fanny had climbed down from the ridge.

"Candy, you have one angry father to face in town."

"I know, but Fanny and I have some news. We talked last night, and this morning we made a decision. We're going to get married if her father will give his permission. I hope that you don't mind having a married hand on the Ponderosa, Mr. Cartwright."

"Mind? Candy, I'm delighted. If there's any way we could help, all you have to do is tell us what you need."

"Right now I could use a wheel to fix this carriage so I could take Fanny back to town. I'd borrow one of the horses, but she doesn't know how to ride yet."

"Well, ifn she can hang on, you can borrow Chubb and I'll wait for the wheel and fix this carriage. Maybe Adam can go with you to help you smooth over things with the family."

After Hoss' offer, Candy looked to Adam. "Normally, I'd handle it by myself, but this is a rather touchy situation, and I'd like a witness that could testify to the carriage actually being damaged and that we were too far away from anywhere from where we could have gotten any help. Adam agreed and soon the three of them were on their way to town. By that evening, Candy was officially engaged with a wedding planned to occur two weeks before Christmas. Fanny thought that would mean that Cat would be able to enjoy the wedding because her baby wasn't due until a few weeks after that.

Chapter 16

There was a lot of activity on the Ponderosa in the late fall. Adam and Cat had a nursery to ready for the arrival of their child. Cat and Fanny worked together to make things for Candy's rooms so that they would be more appropriate for a couple. Ailis visited often helping the two ladies with the sewing and decorating which freed the men from that task. The ladies also worked on dresses for the wedding putting most of their efforts into a wedding dress for Fanny, but they also designed a wrap dress for Cat so that she could be well dressed even though she would be very close to her delivery time when the wedding occurred. In the last week of November and about a week before the wedding, Fanny and Cat were doing some last minute sewing of lace to the wedding dress that was otherwise completed while Adam went to Candy's rooms to play a chess match. The two had gotten into the habit of doing that because there was less distraction there.

"We only have about a week left to do this. I'm going to miss this. I have to go back to playing Cat who wins more often than you do or my father who plays so slowly he wins sometimes because I get careless. He lulls me into making mistakes."

"We can still play chess after I get married."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. She's been very busy for the last few weeks and the ladies prefer not to have us in their way right now, but once that wedding is over, then that will no longer be true."

"Ah, but there will be the benefits of marriage. I'm looking forward to that."

"None for me at the moment and not for quite a while. Not now because it might make the baby come early, and I've been informed that there will be none afterward for at least six weeks. I will be jealous of you for a couple of months."

"I would think you're naturally jealous of me all the time. More handsome, more debonair, more witty, well, I could go on and on."

"Make your move instead. I'm beginning to think you're going to start playing like my father and trying to lull me into mistakes."

"Your father is a smart man. I do like to follow his example."

Any smart remark by Adam was prevented by the door opening suddenly and Hoss calling for Adam. "You better come quick. It's the baby."

"It can't be the baby. It's not due for nearly a month."

"Well somebody done forgot to tell the baby. It's coming. Fanny is with her now, and Hop Sing is getting everything ready. There's no time for the doctor or a midwife. That baby is gonna be here before anybody can get here to help." But by then Hoss was speaking to Adam's back as he rushed to the house. "Candy, can you ask one of the men to ride for the doctor? I know it will be too late for the delivery, but that baby is gonna need some looking after, like as not."

Inside the house and up in the bedroom, Adam found himself trying to reassure Cat that everything was going to be all right when inside of him his guts were all churned up with fear. He kept his voice as calm as he could and used a cool damp cloth to wipe Cat's face and neck with one hand even as he held her hand in his other hand. Hop Sing was there telling her not to push but to let the baby take its time. Fanny assisted by following Hop Sing's instructions. It was only three hours and the baby was born, wrapped in a receiving blanket, and resting in Cat's arms. Hop Sing pronounced the baby healthy even if very small. Adam put a hand on his child's back and marveled at the miracle of birth and the tiny size of his son even as he worried about his son's small size and that he seemed to be so quiet for a baby. When Doctor Martin arrived and examined both Cat and the baby, he agreed with Hop Sing's assessment that the baby was healthy.

"Paul, then why do you still look so worried. I've seen that frown before even if Cat hasn't. Something is bothering you."

"Adam, I don't want to frighten you unnecessarily, but there is something I need to tell both of you. Your son is small and that makes him vulnerable. You need to take special care of him for these first few months until he gets bigger. You need to hold him more than the usual because he's going to be more susceptible to being cold. Catherine, you will need to nurse him as often as you can convince him to suckle. Don't wait for him to be hungry. If he's willing to nurse, then you should feed him. You're going to have more than he can take at first anyway. His stomach is very small. You may find that you're nursing him every two hours. Neither of you is going to get much sleep for the next few weeks. As he is able to nurse for longer periods of time, he will start growing faster."

"How long?"

"You should see a marked improvement in the first month, but I would say that in three months, he should be a more normal weight and size for his age. Until then, keep him here in these rooms and keep these rooms warm. A chill is one of the worst things for him now. He needs to be kept warm. His body is too small to have to do that for himself."

So Adam and Cat as well as Benjamin Abel Cartwright missed the wedding of the season when Candy Canaday married Mary Frances in Virginia City at St. Mary in the Mountains Church that had recently been finished and dedicated by the bishop. The party was in the social hall in town. About eight in the evening, Adam and Cat heard the sound of carriages and horses in the yard. Adam looked out the window and saw his family, Candy and Fanny, and Fanny's family as well as a number of their good friends. Soon there was a knock on their door, and Ben was there to explain.

"Candy and Fanny didn't want you to miss the whole wedding, so they're going to renew the wedding ceremony downstairs and then we're going to have a bit more dancing. We thought that you and Cat could sit on the landing with Benny and watch. It's the best we could do. We have some of the cake and we brought plenty of the food back with us."

Encouraging Cat to wear the dress she had made to wear to the wedding, Adam took two chairs to the top of the stairs. Then he returned and dressed in a white shirt and black striped dress pants. He picked up Benny and made sure he was dry before holding him to his chest. He waited while Cat did a quick job of pinning up her hair, and then took her hand and walked to their viewing spot.

With Ben standing in for the role of the priest, Candy and Fanny repeated the wedding ceremony for Adam and Cat who sat at the top of the stairs with their son. Then the musicians kicked off with some music, the furniture was moved back, and the dancing was on for another hour. Benny wasn't bothered by loud noises and rested comfortably on Adam's chest throughout. When it was time for Fanny to toss the bouquet, all the ladies lined up, the bouquet was tossed, and Candy bid the crowd good night as he escorted his bride from the house. The guests began to leave but not before they helped move everything back into place.

A week later on the day before Christmas, several large crates arrived in Virginia City addressed to Adam and Catherine Cartwright shipped by Pleasant from Australia. Adam was in town getting supplies and the mail. Luckily the weather was still mild enough that he had the buckboard so he was able to take them home with him. Once Adam and his brothers opened and unpacked them, they found many of Cat's belongings as well as some things that Adam had left behind. There were also gifts for Cat, Adam, and the baby including an elaborate cradle, silver bowls and spoons to feed the baby, and a small portrait of Cat's mother. There was an envelope in the mail too. When Adam opened it, he found that funds had been deposited in his account with the Bank of California compensating him for much of what he had lost when his investments had been sold. Cat was in tears when she saw all that her father had sent.

"You see, Adam, there was no reason for you to be so suspicious. He has changed. He sent some of my things and all of your things. These things for Benny are beautiful."

"Yes, some of yours and all of mine. And could he be reminding us that he could provide luxuries that are not readily available in what he calls the 'wilderness' here?"

"Adam, to be fair, I have many more things there than you had. Surely father will be sending more of my things. You can't expect him to crate it all and send it all at once. And this is his first grandchild. You can understand that he might be a bit ostentatious in his gift giving especially as he is so far away. This was quite a gesture, don't you think?"

"It was quite a gesture. We should write him a big letter and thank him for everything. You did write and tell him about the baby, so now we can write and tell him how much our son is growing."

"Yes, but this is a wonderful Christmas now. We have a baby who's getting stronger every day, and Candy and Fanny are so happy together, and Father has changed his attitude toward you. Love, I couldn't be happier than I am at this moment."

"Maybe you can. I saw Paul when I was in town this morning getting supplies. I told him how much better Benny was doing. He said as long as we keep him warm at all times, we can bring him downstairs to be with the family."

"Oh, thank you, and in time for Christmas. That is wonderful."

Christmas was a quiet celebration. Candy spent the holiday in town with Fanny's family who were very pleased with their new family member. With Benny still fragile, Ben decided that it would be best if the family celebrated with only Roy and the Martins as guests so they were there for Christmas dinner, but had to leave early when a storm began to blow in. Candy didn't make it home for a week because of that storm, and when he did, he brought some supplies and the mail. There was a letter from Pleasant. When Cat read it, she sighed and handed it to Adam who handed Benny to her so he could read the letter. After he read it and wrapped an arm around his wife, he leaned down and spoke softly to her.

"I'm sorry. I truly am sorry, but we can make this work. I'll write a letter back to him inviting him here. I know exactly how to do it."

Ben as well as Hoss and Joe were curious then but Ben asked first. "What did he say and what are you going to say?"

"He's adding on to his house, and invited us to 'visit' for even a year or two if we wish. He wants Cat to know that it would be all right for her and the baby to come for a visit without me if I'm too busy. He has started some regular runs to San Francisco so that it would be convenient for her to travel whenever she would like to make the decision to come 'visit' him at 'home' as he calls it."

"So he hasn't given up at all. Those things he sent were peace offerings but meant to soften you up?"

"Yes, gifts to get us in the right frame of mind so he could make the offer and hopefully have Cat say yes. Once she is back there, he would do everything he could do to prevent her from leaving again. We know that."

"Son, what are you going to do?"

"Pa, I'm sure that you guessed that Cat and I will be building a house soon. We hope to do that this spring. We'll build close to this house if you approve, but we want our own home. I'll tell Pleasant that we'll build a father-in-law suite for him and that he is welcome to visit at any time or move here if he wishes. He is welcome to ship any of his things here to make his quarters as comfortable as he wants them to be. I'll let him know that he'll have his own water closet, sitting area, and bedroom. We can honestly tell him that Benny is much too vulnerable to travel and must be with Cat at all times for the foreseeable future. If he wishes to see either of them, he will need to travel here."

"That's a lot of detail. Did you work all of that out in the last few minutes?"

Cat smiled as Ben asked the question, and Ben had to smile too for he knew the answer even before Adam spoke.

"No, Pa, I had the ideas ready to go as well as other possibilities. Working with Pleasant is a lot like playing chess. He has a lot of gambits and you never quite know what to expect except that he likes to go on the offensive. I thought about the various possibilities and what I would do in reaction to each one. This is the one I thought was most likely especially after those crates arrived. Ever since he left here, I expected him to try to find a way to lure Cat back to Australia. It isn't going to work."

It didn't work. Cat got a few more letters trying to cajole her into a promise to travel to Australia at some point. She politely declined and renewed the invitation for her father to visit the Ponderosa. By mid-summer, the house was done. Benny was a chubby-cheeked smiling baby who was happiest when he was being held by any member of the family, by Candy, or Fanny. On the day that Adam moved his family to their new home, he drove his family in one carriage loaded with personal belongings. Candy drove Fanny in the surrey with more of their belongings, and Joe and Hoss drove two wagons loaded with supplies and furniture. Ben and Hop Sing were in the larger carriage with kitchen supplies and followed the others in a caravan to the new house only about a mile from the main house. The house sat higher on the slope and had a grand view of the lake from all the front windows. The mountains were the view from the back. There was a small stable with a corral to one side and a small garden and storehouse on the other side.

By the end of the day, Adam and Cat were moved in and the whole family had a buffet dinner as a housewarming party. Ben looked around the room and remembered the previous summer. Candy had come back to them looking for a home and a family. He had found both. He sat on the hearth of Adam's fireplace holding Fanny's hand and laughing and talking with Ben's sons and Cat. Adam had come home hurt and angry, but he had healed with Cat's help. The two of them had been through a lot in the past year, but their love was very strong. Ben could see it every time they looked at each other even when they were upset with each other. At this moment, they kept looking at each other and exchanging small smiles as if they could not believe how happy they were. Only a week before, they had received a letter from Pleasant that was a concession on his part. He had agreed that he would come for a visit that fall. Ben knew that Cat was looking forward to that very much. Then Ben looked at his younger sons. He was as worried about them as he had been a year earlier. He was concerned about Joe's erratic behavior and he wondered if Hoss would find happiness. He looked at Adam and Candy and knew that those two men were his hope for reaching Joe and Hoss and helping them get what they needed. He smiled for he knew that once he told Adam and Candy what was needed, those two good friends would put their heads together and come up with a plan. If they couldn't, they had two good women who were friends and they most certainly would have a good plan. Ben had to smile then. It was nice knowing that he could share some of the responsibility for the family.


End file.
